Natural peste des petits ruminants virus infection:: Novel pathologic findings resembling other morbillivirus infections

The present study describes pathologic and virologic findings in 15 sheep and 6 goats that died of natural peste des petits ruminants virus Infection in Turkey. Pathologic findings included erosiveulcerative stomatitis, fibrino-necrotic tracheitis, bronchointerstitial pneumo nia, multifocal coagulation necroses in the liver, and severe lymphocytolysis in lymphoid tissues. Syncytial cells were conspicuous, especially in the oral mucosa, pulmonary alveoli, liver, and lymphoid tissues. In addition to the typical tissue distribution, eosinophilic intracytoplasmic and/or intranuclear inclusions were observed in epithelia cells lining the renal pelvis and abomasal mucosa. Inimunolabeling of the viral antigen was observed in the kidney, brain, rumen, abomasum, heart, and myocytes of the tongue besides its more typical locations. III this study, we report and describe in detail the first peste des petits ruminants endemic in Kirikkale Province, Central Anatolia of Turkey. In conclusion, these previously unreported pathologic findings in natural peste des petits ruminants virus infection establish a basis for resemblance to other morbillivirus infections, such as canine distemper and distemper of sea mammals. Reverse t ran script a se-po lymerase chain reaction analyses indicated that the 448-bp genome fragment was amplified in 18 cases (18/21, 85.7 %). Phylogenetic analysis showed that viruses belong to lineage 4 in the peste des petits ruminants virus common phylogenetic tree.