Herpesvirus encephalitis in a camel (Camelus bactrianus)

A herpesvirus antigenically related to equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) was cultured from the brain of a 2-year-old camel that exhibited clinical signs of severe neurological disease before death. Microscopic lesions in the brain included a non-suppurative meningoencephalitis with vasculitis and locally extensive necrosis and oedema. Intranuclear inclusion bodies typical of herpesvirus were observed in neurons and glial cells. Immunohistochemical staining detected EHV-1 antigen in neurons, lymphocytes, and endothelial cells in the brain. The pathological features in this case are similar to those in EHV-1-induced neurological disease in llamas and horses..