Adenovirus pneumonia in guineapigs: an experimental reproduction of the disease

Abstract

The recently described virus-induced pneumonia in guineapigs (Naumann et al., 1981) was experimentally reproducible in newborn animals, though not in preadult animals. Baby hamsters and newborn rats were also not susceptible to infection. 10 of 11 infected newborn guineapigs developed pathological changes identical with those found in spontaneous cases. The incubation period was from 5 to 10 days. The agent could not be cultivated in vitro, and therefore no applicable serological tests could be established. The morphology of the virus, its intranuclear location, the course of the disease and the histopathological and ultra-structural changes strongly suggest that the virus is an adenovirus specific for guineapigs. The virus did not cross-react with human or fowl adenoviruses. It was ether resistant and non-oncogenic in baby rats and hamsters. During a 5-year period we registered a total of 51 spontaneous death cases diagnosed as adenovirus pneumonia in our experimental guineapigs, 4 from own breeding colony.

Infectious Diseases

“…Adenoviridae: guinea pig adenovirus (GPAdV) BACKGROUND Virus-associated necrotizing bronchopneumonia in guinea pigs is a spontaneous multifactorial disease that has low morbidity, high mortality, and a worldwide distribution (Percy and Barthold, 2007). After the first description in Germany and experimental reproduction of the disease (Kunstyr et al, 1984;Naumann et al, 1981), sporadic spontaneous cases were reported from the United States, Australia, and Switzerland (Brennecke et al, 1983). A 10-year endemic "in-house" occurrence of adenovirus-associated disease was reported in a British pharmaceutical research facility.…”

Small mammal virology

“…It should be noted that there are reports in the literature describing infection with adenoviruses in guinea pigs without any concurrent clinical signs [25,26]. In addition, in experimental infection of guinea pigs with adenovirus-infected crude suspensions of lung tissue, only newborn guinea pigs (2-3 days old) displayed any clinical signs [27], suggesting other factors such as altered immune status are needed to induce adenoviral respiratory disease.…”