Abstract
A dead wild racoon dog was examined pathologically. Grossly hepatization of the lungs was seen. Histologically, eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies were found in the cytoplasm of splenic reticuloendothelial cells, surface epithelial cells of the stomach, transitional epithelial cells of the bladder, and the bronchiolar epithelial cells. Electron microscopically, crystalline-arrayed nucleocapsids were observed in the splenic reticuloendothelial cells and transitional epithelial cells of the bladder. From these findings, the death of the racoon dog may be attributed to the growth of canine distemper virus in cells of the lungs, spleen, stomach, bladder and bronchia.
