Nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis associated with Aleutian mink disease parvovirus infection in ranch mink

Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, North Dakota State University, Fargo 58105, USA.

Severe nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis associated with Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV) infection was observed in adult ranch mink. Brain lesions included severe, locally extensive to coalescing lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis with accompanying gliosis, satellitosis, and mild extension of inflammation into the leptomeninges. ADV was identified in mesenteric lymph node, spleen, brain, and liver of affected mink by polymerase chain reaction techniques. Sequences of the ADV isolate (TH5) revealed 2 unique residues in the region of the viral genome that determines pathogenicity. These findings suggest that certain strains of ADV may preferentially cause disease in the nervous system. ADV infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of neurologic disorders in mink.