Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Unusual herpesvirus skin disease on limbs of a cat
By Sebastian Pineda, Daniel A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2026·Department of Pathology, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Atypical felid alphaherpesvirus 1 dermatitis in a cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-year-old male domestic shorthair cat developed skin lesions on its limbs and shoulder, which were unusual for feline herpesvirus infections that typically affect the face and mouth. The cat had deep inflammation in the skin, and tests confirmed the presence of the herpesvirus. After about seven months, new lesions appeared in similar areas, showing typical signs of ulcerative dermatitis. The cat was diagnosed with atypical herpesvirus dermatitis, and while the abstract does not specify treatment, awareness of this unusual condition is important for veterinarians.
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Abstract
Feline herpesviral ulcerative dermatitis is associated with ulceration of the face and oral mucosa. Histologically, lesions consist of eosinophilic inflammation in the superficial dermis, with occasional eosinophilic intranuclear viral inclusion bodies in the epidermis, follicular epithelium, and associated glands. We describe a case of atypical felid alphaherpesvirus 1 (FeAHV1; family, taxon species) dermatitis in a 6-y-old, castrated male, domestic shorthair cat in which lesions were located on the limbs and shoulder without facial or oral involvement. Histologic findings consisted of deep eosinophilic and plasmacytic dermatitis with vasculitis, thrombosis, and intranuclear viral inclusion bodies within macrophages. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for FeAHV1 revealed viral antigen within macrophages in the deep dermis but not in epithelial cells. FeAHV1 was identified in the affected tissue via a consensus PCR assay targeting the DNA polymerase and the DNA packaging terminase subunit 1 for herpesviruses, followed by sequencing of the PCR amplicons. Similar lesions appeared on the right shoulder and right tarsal area ~7 mo after the first biopsy. Histologically, lesions were typical of feline ulcerative dermatitis and consisted of extensive areas of epidermal and follicular necrosis with ulceration and occasional intranuclear eosinophilic viral inclusion bodies in the epidermis and sebocytes. IHC in the second biopsy sample revealed FeAHV1 antigen within epithelial cells and macrophages near the ulcerated areas. Clinicians and pathologists should be aware of unusual manifestations of FeAHV1-associated ulcerative dermatitis in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41392417/