Ulcerative facial and nasal dermatitis and stomatitis in cats associated with feline herpesvirus 1.

Ulcerative dermatitis of the nasal planum or haired skin of the face, associated with intranuclear inclusion bodies compatible with herpesvirus, was identified in nine cats. Clinically, lesions were ulcerative and crusted, and often persistent. A tenth cat had focal proliferative ulcerative stomatitis, also associated with intranuclear inclusion bodies. Microscopically, there was necrosis and ulceration associated with prominent eosinophilic inflammation. Intranuclear inclusion bodies were noted in all cases, within the surface or adnexal epithelium. Ultrastructural examination of skin from two cats revealed virions morphologically compatible with a herpesvirus. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) specific for feline herpesvirus 1 on DNA extracted from fresh-frozen or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy samples and/or consensus primer PCR with DNA sequencing performed on DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy samples from seven cats revealed that the virus was indistinguishable from feline herpesvirus 1. PCR was negative in one of eight cats tested.