Pathologic changes caused by transplacental infection with an adenovirus-like agent in pigs

Five hysterectomy-derived colostrum-deprived pigs housed in individual cages with positive ventilation developed severe skin cyanosis and edema of the subcutaneous tissues in the submandibular, thoracic, and abdominal regions. The 5 pigs were killed 7 to 10 days after birth. Eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were found in endothelial cells of capillary and small blood vessels throughout the body. Ultrastructurally, nuclei of these affected endothelial cells contained small crystalline arrays of virus particles, which were considered to belong to the adenovirus-like group from their size and structure. The present results indicated that the porcine adenovirus-like agent might also have the ability to produce transplacental infection.