HISTOPATHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF 2 CASES OF EQUINE VIRAL ABORTION IN THE VIII-REGION, CHILE

Two cases of equine viral abortion are described: one foetus which was miscarried at the end of the pregnancy and the other which was born a nd died 24 hs later. Both cases came from a farm that had had 6 mare m iscarriages during the 1996 birth period. The following lesions were o bserved in the necropsy, icterus, oral and nasal haemorrhages, lymphoi d haemorrhages, general congestion, serophibrinous pleuritis, lung oed ema, catarrhs bronchopneumonia at the apical lobes, ascitis, enlarged spleen, liver necrosis and nephrosis. Histopathology and electron micr oscopy indicated the presence of intranuclear inclusion bodies Cowdry type A in the epithelial cells of the lung, hepatocytes and macrophage s of the spleen. All of the lesions are similar to those described in equine viral abortion or equine rhinopneumonitis.