Multicentric Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Situ Associated With Papillomavirus in a Ferret

A 6-year-old castrated male ferret presented with multiple black and tan proliferative skin lesions. Histologically, the lesions were characterized by multifocal plaques of irregular epidermal hyperplasia and full-thickness dysplasia, with loss of normal epithelial stratification, loss of nuclear polarity, and rare eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the superficial layers of the epidermis. Immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against papillomaviruses was strongly immunoreactive. Ultrastructurally, large numbers of hexagonal viral particles approximately 50 nm were observed within the nuclei of dysplastic superficial keratinocytes. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of a ferret multicentric squamous cell carcinoma in situ associated with papillomavirus.