Canine morbillivirus (canine distemper virus) with concomitant canine adenovirus, canine parvovirus-2, and Neospora caninum in puppies: a retrospective immunohistochemical study

A retrospective immunohistochemical study was designed to investigate the frequency of concomitant traditional infectious disease pathogens in puppies that died suddenly and review the aspects of associated pathogenesis. Fifteen puppies were evaluated; the pathology reports and histopathologic slides of these animals were reviewed to determine the pattern of histopathologic lesions. The intralesional identification of antigens of canine (distemper) morbillivirus (CDV), canine adenovirus-1 and -2 (CAdV-1 and -2), canine parvovirus-2 (CPV-2), Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum was evaluated by IHC within the histopathologic patterns observed. All puppies contained CDV nucleic acid by molecular testing. The most frequent histopathologic patterns were intestinal crypt necrosis (n = 8), white matter cerebellar demyelination (n = 7), necrohaemorrhagic hepatitis (n = 7), interstitial pneumonia (n = 7), and gallbladder oedema (n = 5). All puppies contained intralesional antigens of CDV in multiple tissues resulting in singular (n = 3), and concomitant dual (n = 3), triple (n = 5) and quadruple (n = 4) infections by CAdV-1, and -2, CPV-2, and N. caninum; T. gondii was not identified. Concomitant infections by CDV was observed with N. caninum (100%; 1/1), CPV-2 (100%; 8/8), CAdV-1 (100%; 8/8), and CAdV-2 (100%; 8/8). Intralesional antigens of CDV and not CAdV-1 were identified in cases of gallbladder oedema. The “blue eye” phenomenon was histologically characterized by corneal oedema and degenerative lesions to the corneal epithelium, without inflammatory reactions.