Herpesvirus in the liver of a hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
Stack, M.J.; Higgins, R.J.; Challoner, D.J.; Gregory, M.W.
Veterinary Record 127(25-26): 620-621
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0042-4900 PMID: 1965239 Document Number: 349641
A moribund adult female hedgehog weighing 750 g and in good condition died soon after it was received at the Newcastle Veterinary Investigation Centre. PM examination revealed an enlarged, friable and pale liver and enlarged spleen. Some bacteria were cultured from the liver and spleen but only in insignificant numbers. Microscopical examination of sections of liver showed severe disruptions of normal hepatic architecture with extensive areas of parenchymal haemorrhage, hyperaemia and hepatic necrosis. Inclusion bodies were seen in both the cytoplasm and nuclei of liver cells. Electron microscopy of thin sections of these tissue areas revealed herpesvirus particles. It is suggested that hepatitis caused by a herpesvirus was responsible for the hedgehog's death.