An erosive/ulcerative alimentary disease of undetermined etiology in Swedish moose (AIces alces L.)

Abstract

During the years 1985 to 1987, 689 moose (Alces alces L.) collected throughout Sweden were necrop-sied at the National Veterinary Institute in Uppsala, Sweden. Sixty-eight of those investigated had catarrhal to hemorrhagic enteritis, atrophied lymphoid organs, and/or numerous erosive, uclerative, necrotizing lesions of the digestive mucosa. Histopathology of the mucous membranes revealed marked inter- and intracellular oedema, erosions, ulcers and intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies. Neither Bovine Virus Diarrhoea/Mucosal Disease (BVD/MD) or Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus could be isolated from the diseased animals. It is suggested that the syndrome resembling BVD/MD complex, may have been caused by an yet unidentified virus.

Keywords

• Alces alces L.
• Bovine Virus Diarrhoea/Mucosal Disease (BVD/MD)
• Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus
• intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies
• moose
• Sweden