chapter 49 Viral Dermatoses......................................
DEFINITION/OVERVIEW
Dermatoses caused by viral infection within keratinized structures.
Often underdiagnosed due to difficulty in identifying an exact causative viral agent.
ETIOLOGY/PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Viral replication within keratinized structures may cause cytosuppressive effects or
upregulate keratinization, resulting in hyperplastic or crusted conditions.
Most of the recognized viral dermatoses in veterinary medicine involve
poxvirus-, coronavirus-, papillomavirus-, retrovirus-, herpesvirus-, and calicivirus-
associated disease.Several widely recognized cutaneous syndromes in animals have not been proven to
be a direct result of viral infection, but have a strong association suggestive of a causal
effect.Papillomavirus: viral genome contains an oncogene that degrades p53 tumor sup-
pressor protein; papillomavirus may be involved in the development of squamous
cell carcinoma (SCC) in dogs and cats.SIGNALMENT/HISTORY
Head, neck, feet, and footpads common sites.
Clinical dermatologic signs are variable with each specific virus; may involve other
organ systems such as the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and/or nervous system.
Risk factors for infection or development of viral dermatoses:
Fighting or hunting behavior
Exposure to an infected animal
Ingestion of infected materials
Immunosuppression – inherited or induced (corticosteroid or chemotherapy
administration).
Blackwell’s Five-Minute Veterinary Consult Clinical Companion: Small Animal Dermatology, Third Edition.
Karen Helton Rhodes and Alexander H. Werner.
©2018 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Published 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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