A pathological observation on the experimental rabbit viral hepatitis

Jyeong, Jong-sik; Kwon, Young-ran; Lee, Cha-soo; Shin, Tae-kyun

Korean Journal of Veterinary Research 1992;32(4):605-608.

Jong-sik Jyeong¹, Young-ran Kwon², Cha-soo Lee², Tae-kyun Shin³

¹Kyungpook Animal Health Experimental Institute
²College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University
³Department of Veterinary Medicine, Cheju National University

실험적 토끼 바이러스성 간염의 병리학적 관찰

정종식¹, 권영란², 이차수², 신태균³

¹경북가축위생시험소
²경북대학교 수의과대학
³제주대학교 수의학과

Abstract

This paper dealt with the clinical and pathological observations on the experimental rabbit viral hepatitis. Rabbits with 2-14 months of ages were intramuscularly inoculated with virus suspension. The results were summarized as follows. Ninety percents of experimental rabbits inoculated with virus died within 96 hours postinoculation. Common clinical signs were inappetence, increase in body temperature, depression, mild diarrhea and in three cases, bloody foam from nostrils was recognized. At necropsy, in most of the experimental cases, there were hyperemia or haemorrhages in many organs and pale liver. Intestinal catarrh and retention of turbid urine in urinary bladder were seen in some cases. Histopathologically, liver necrosis was found in all the cases died of this disease. However, there was a difference in the severity of hepatic necrosis. Haemorrhages were Iecognized in lungs, heart, liver, spleen, kidneys and thymus, in order. Liver necrosis was marked even in the cases with no haemorrhage. Perivascular cuffing in brain and catarrhal enteritis in small intestine were seen in many cases. From these results, consistent and primary lesion in this viral disease is hepatitis in susceptible rabbits. It was concluded that rabbit hepatitis virus might have the properties of hepatotropism and consequently induce peripheral necrosis in the liver leading to acute viremia with haemorrhages.

Key Words: rabbit, hepatitis, virus, haemorrhagic disease