Diagnosis of Infectious Canine Hepatitis Virus (CAV-1) Infection in Puppies with Encephalopathy

Nine weaned Labrador Retriever puppies from a litter of 11 were presented with signs of acute central nervous system (CNS) disease that included ataxia and blindness. All puppies died. Gross examination of tissues from 2 puppies revealed regionally diffuse hemorrhages in the brain stem and swollen hemorrhagic lymph nodes. Light microscopic examination of hematoxylin and eosin-stained tissues showed numerous large, basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies within CNS vascular endothelium and occasionally in individual hepatocytes. Immunohistochemical staining of the tissue was positive using an antibody against canine adenovirus-1. Virus isolation for infectious canine hepatitis virus was achieved using inoculated cell cultures. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA from cell culture material revealed shared homology with other mammalian adenoviruses.