ABSTRACT
In May 1991, clinical, pathologic, and virologic investigations were carried out on an 8-yr-old male lion (Panthera leo), with recurrent infections, in captivity with two lionesses in the Zoological Garden of Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy. The lion had severe pneumonia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and an increase in blood urea nitrogen and creatininemia; in spite of therapy, it died within 3 months. At necropsy, the animal had a lymphoma and other lesions similar to those described in feline immunodeficiency virus-infected cats. We identified FIV gag-sequence using PCR amplification of lymph node tissues.
Subject(s)
Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome , Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline/immunology , Lentivirus Infections/veterinary , Lions , Animals , Animals, Zoo , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Antigens, Viral/immunology , Blood Urea Nitrogen , Blotting, Southern/veterinary , Blotting, Western/veterinary , Coronavirus, Feline/immunology , Creatinine/blood , DNA, Viral/analysis , Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/complications , Feline Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/virology , Gene Products, gag/genetics , Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline/genetics , Lentivirus Infections/complications , Lentivirus Infections/virology , Leukemia Virus, Feline/immunology , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/etiology , Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/veterinary , Lymph Nodes/pathology , Lymph Nodes/virology , Male , Neutropenia/etiology , Neutropenia/veterinary , Pneumonia, Pneumococcal/etiology , Pneumonia, Pneumococcal/veterinary , Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , Thrombocytopenia/etiology , Thrombocytopenia/veterinaryABSTRACT
The larvae of Baylisascaris transfuga (Rudolphi, 1819) were able to penetrate the liver, lungs, carcass and brain of infected chickens, but a great number of larvae accumulated in the liver. No clinical signs were seen. Birds may serve as paratenic hosts of the parasite, but B. transfuga seems not to be a possible agent of avian cerebrospinal nematodosis.
