Enteritis hemorrágica por adenovirus en pavos

Abstract

Hemorrhagic enteritis (HE) in 4 to 11 weeks old turkeys is described by the first time in Colombia, based on gross, morphologic and electron microscopic studies. Sick animales presented enteritis and splenomegaly as the main findings. Mononuclear cells of the lamina propria of the small intestine presented intranuclear inclusion bodies. In the spleen these bodies were seen in most of the cells of white and red pulp. The inclusion bodies were slightly eosinophilic and the chromatin was displaced to the nuclear membrane. A basophilic round flattened body, displaced to a nuclear pole, suggested a nucleolus. Ultrastructural studies of the inclusion development from the initial appearance of a cristaloid material to the final formation of large amounts of capsids and virions are described. Negative staing of spleen macerates presented typical adenovirus particles but these particles were not detected in the intestinal content by the same technique.