Lymphosarcoma Associated With Virus-Like Intranuclear Inclusions in a California King Snake (Colubridae: Lampropeltis)

A laboratory-bred and laboratory-reared male California king snake was submitted for clinical evaluation, and a mass was palpated caudal to the stomach and within the abdominal cavity. The snake was anesthetized and the mass was excised. A constricted atonic section of adjacent small intestine was removed and the ends were subsequently reanastomosed. The snake died 2 days post surgery; after histopathologic examination of all major organs (except muscle and brain), lymphosarcoma was diagnosed. Lymphocytes, approximately 70% of which contained small to large eosinophilic intranuclear inclusions, had infiltrated all major organs. By electron microscopic examination these inclusions were found to be large electron-dense granular structures. Aggregates of circular structures that measured 50 nm were seen in the cytoplasm of several cells.