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Abstract
CASE HISTORY: Lesions were observed on the chins of two 2- to 3-year-old red (Cervus elaphus) × wapiti (Cervus canadensis) stags from the lower North Island of New Zealand during velvet removal.
CLINICAL FINDINGS: Both stags had numerous, coalescing, darkly pigmented plaques and nodules on the skin of the chin and lower lips that were 3–10 mm in diameter. Re-examination after 12 months of initial detection revealed no appreciable change in the lesions. A biopsy sample from one lesion was submitted for histopathological examination.
HISTOPATHOLOGY: Sections revealed lesions consistent with pigmented viral papillomas, characterised by marked epidermal hyperplasia forming papillary fronds, prominent clumping of keratohyalin granules, keratinocytes with dilated grey-blue cytoplasm, shrunken nuclei surrounded by a clear halo (koilocytes), and presumptive viral intranuclear inclusions. Papillomavirus DNA was amplified by PCR from a fresh tissue sample from the same papilloma. Comparison of the partial nucleotide sequence amplified to previously reported papillomaviruses suggested the presence of a novel papillomavirus type.
DIAGNOSIS: A presumptive diagnosis of pigmented viral papilloma was made.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE: While the papillomas described in these two cases do not appear to cause major clinical disease, they are visually unappealing and have the potential to spread to other valuable deer.