Abstract:
A flightless wild juvenile rock pigeon (Columba guinea) with pox-like lesions was picked up on
the premises of the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort. The
pigeon was housed overnight for possible treatment the following day but died before any
other intervention could be instituted. At necropsy, coalescing masses of yellowish nodular
cutaneous tumour-like lesions principally on the featherless areas were noticed on the dead
pigeon’s head as well as the beak. Histological examination of the sampled skin lesions revealed
multifocal areas of hypertrophic and hyperplastic epidermal epithelial cells with eosinophilic
intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies (Bollinger bodies). Extract from the lesion was processed and
inoculated on the chorioallantoic membranes (CAM) of 11-day-old embryonated chicken eggs
and this produced pocks on one of the CAM at day 7 post-inoculation. Electron microscopy
confirmed the presence of poxvirus in the CAM with the pock lesions.
