Meningoencephalitis caused by concurrent infection with canine distemper virus and a uniquesp. in a gray fox.

Abstract

A deceased 9-wk-old male gray fox () with a history of decreased ambulation and diarrhea was submitted to the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. No significant gross findings were evident on postmortem examination. Histologically, the cerebrum and brainstem had mild necrotizing meningoencephalitis with protozoal schizonts and merozoites. Additionally, glial cells contained intracytoplasmic and intranuclear viral inclusion bodies. Sections of the cerebrum were positive for canine distemper virus (CDV) and negative foron immunohistochemistry. Bayesian analysis revealed that thissp. clustered most closely with a clade of unnamedsp. found in viperid snakes, with a posterior probability of 99%. CDV likely played a significant role in the expression of clinical sarcocystosis in this gray fox.