Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal bluetongue virus infection in an alpaca (Vicugna pacos) in California.
- Journal:
- Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc
- Year:
- 2010
- Authors:
- Ortega, Joaquín et al.
- Affiliation:
- University of California Davis · United States
Abstract
In October 2008, a 15-year-old female alpaca (Vicugna pacos) housed at a breeding farm in northern California died after a brief illness characterized by sudden onset of weakness, recumbency, and respiratory distress. Postmortem examination revealed severe hydrothorax and hydropericardium, marked pulmonary edema, and acute superficial myocardial hemorrhage affecting the left ventricle. Bluetongue virus (BTV) was detected in the spleen by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and confirmed by sequence analysis. No antibodies against BTV were detected in the serum using a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, confirming acute, fulminant BTV infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20093703/