2016 Volume 25 Issue 3 Pages 105-108
Papillomas can be of papillomaviral or nonviral origin. Papillomas of the conjunctiva in dogs have been described infrequently, and most published reports have elucidated the association with papillomavirus infection. Only one previous study has described conjunctival squamous papillomas that did not express papillomavirus proteins. Here, we report an intact female Chihuahua, aged 9 years and 11 months, that presented with a localized papillomatous lesion on the bulbar conjunctiva of the left eye. The entire conjunctival lesion was surgically removed and submitted for histopathological examination. The findings of the examination confirmed the diagnosis of a squamous papilloma; however, cellular vacuolization, which is often present in viral infection, was observed in some parts of the epithelium. We performed immunohistochemical tests using an anti-bovine papilloma virus antibody and did not observe papillomavirus antigens in the lesion. This study demonstrated that histopathological examination can distinguish between the viral and nonviral conjunctival papillomas, and that virological analysis is a useful diagnostic aid for suspected cases of viral infection, such as the present case.
