Lesions in Puppies Surviving Infection with Canine Herpesvirus

Four puppies experimentally infected with canine herpesvirus (CHV) and one spontaneously infected animal, all of which survived the disease, were examined. Histologically, there were a focal granulomatous encephalitis, interstitial pneumonitis, and segmental renal necrosis with dysplasia. In the animal with naturally occurring infection there was segmental cerebellar and retinal dysplasia, and CHV antigen was demonstrated in the cerebellar cortex by fluorescence microscopy. The cerebellar and retinal dysplasia indicate that CHV can impair the differentiation of such tissues.