Parma wallaby herpesvirus infection.

Three Parma wallabies (Macropus parma) were inoculated with a herpesvirus recovered from a captive Parma wallaby with fatal naturally-occurring disease. Two intravenously inoculated animals died after 5 days and one animal infected via the conjunctiva and nasal mucosa was killed when moribund at 7 days. An additional two wallabies held in contact with the others became infected; they were killed at 11 days, when one was severely affected and one was mildly affected. All had small vesicles and ulcers of the skin of the upper and lower lips, eyelids, anogenital area and adjacent genital mucosa. Small vesicles and ulcers and large ulcers, with adherent necrotic epithelium and inflammatory debris, were present on the mucosa of the upper lips and adjacent gums and the conjunctiva. Numerous large basophilic or eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were observed in the epithelial cells of these vesicles and ulcers and of adjacent hair follicles and sebaceous glands. There was a mild to moderately severe rhinitis. Keratitis was present in two wallabies. Liver lesions were present in two animals but were unlike those seen in herpesviral hepatitis in other species.