Van Dyk, EnetteBosman, Anna-MariVan Wilpe, ErnaWilliams, June HeatherBengis, Roy G.Van Heerden, J.Venter, Estelle Hildegard2011-08-242011-08-242011-04Van Dyk, E, Bosman, A-M, Van Wilpe, E, Williams, JH, Bengis, RG, Van Heerden, J & Venter, EH 2011, ‘Detection and characterisation of papillomavirus in skin lesions of giraffe and sable antelope in South Africa’, Journal of the South African Veterinary Association, vol. 82, no. 2, pp. 80–85.0038-28097003904650O-6953-2014http://hdl.handle.net/2263/17147Papillomavirus was detected electron microscopically in cutaneous fibropapillomas of a giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and a sable antelope (Hippotragus niger). The virus particles measured 45 nm in diameter. Histopathologically, the lesions showed histopathological features similar to those of equine sarcoid as well as positive immunoperoxidase-staining of tissue sections for papillomavirus antigen. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detected bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA. Bovine papillomavirus-1 was characterised by real-time PCR in the sable and giraffe, and cloning and sequencing of the PCR product revealed a similarity to BPV-1. As in the 1st giraffe, the lesions from a 2nd giraffe revealed locally malignant pleomorphism, possibly indicating the lesional end-point of papilloma infection. Neither virus particles nor positively staining papillomavirus antigen could be demonstrated in the 2nd giraffe but papillomavirus DNA was detected by real-time PCR which corresponded with BPV-1 and BPV-2.enSouth African Veterinary AssociationCutaneous fibropapillomasGiraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis)Hippotragus nigerMalignant pleomorphismSkin lesionsPapillomavirusesGiraffeSable antelopeArticle