HERPESVIRUS HEPATITIS IN 2 EAGLES IN SPAIN

Two cases of naturally occurring fatal disease in eagles (a booted eag le and a buzzard) are reported. Both eagles showed anorexia, weight lo ss, weakness, and inability to fly. Microscopically, stained liver sec tions showed wide non-zonal coagulation necrosis and eosinophilic intr anuclear inclusion bodies in hepatocytes adjacent to the edges of necr otic regions. Ultrastructural studies of hepatocytes revealed multiple enveloped viral particles in the cytoplasm, focal paracrystalline arr ays of virions within the nuclei, and some budding particles bound by a membrane, located in an evagination of nuclear membrane. The size an d morphology of all of these particles were consistent with herpesviru s. To our knowledge, this is the first report of naturally occurring f ield cases of herpesvirus hepatitis in eagles (Accipitridae).