Histopathological study of cutaneous form of Avipoxvirus infection in Jungle crow (Corvus macrorhynchos).

Aim: A detailed histopathological examination of the samples collected from morbid jungle crow was performed to know the cause of death. Materials and Methods: Gross as well as histopathological examination was conducted. The suspected tissues get processed by formalin fixation and paraffin embedding technique. Result: On gross examination, dry pox lesions were seen on the external body surface whereas no internal lesions were observed. However on histopathological examination, the keratin layer of the epidermis was found to be intact and there was extensive proliferation of subdermal connective tissue infiltrated with polymorph mononuclear (PMN) cells. There was marked ballooning of keratinocytes. Swollen keratinocytes had enlarged pleomorphic and hyper-chromatic nuclei. Several keratinocytes also showed presence of eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions (Bollinger bodies) which was considered confirmatory. Conclusion: Avipoxvirus infection was noticed in a jungle crow. On histopathological study, proliferation of subdermal connective tissue, swollen keratinocytes, pleomorphic and hyper-chromatic nucleus and eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions were noticed.