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Multiple oncogenic viruses, including lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), have been detected in wild turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo ). The prevalence of infection with these viruses appears to be more common than overt disease; thus, data on the manifestation of associated disease in wild turkeys are scarce. Diagnostic records from wild turkeys submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study from 1980 to 2017 were reviewed to identify cases of neoplasia. Neoplasia was reported in 59 of 851 (6.9%) wild turkeys submitted. Of the cases of neoplasia tested by polymerase chain reaction, LPDV was detected in 34 of 58 (59%), REV in 10 of 39 (26%), both viruses in 3 of 39 (8%), and no retroviruses detected in 5 of 39 (13%) turkeys. The most common gross lesions observed among turkeys with neoplasms were emaciation (30/40; 75%); nodules in the skin (26/59; 44%), liver (17/59; 29%), or spleen (9/59; 15%); and splenomegaly (14/59; 24%). Microscopically, nodules were composed of pleomorphic round cells with large eccentric nuclei and prominent nucleoli resembling lymphocytes or lymphoblasts (57/59; 97%) except for 2 cases, one of myeloid cell origin and the other with primarily spindloid cells. This study indicates the need to characterize the pathogenesis and potential health threat posed by REV and LPDV to wild turkeys. Experimental infection studies and the development of additional diagnostic tests to confirm the role of retroviruses in lymphoproliferative disease are warranted.

Congenital ocular abnormalities in cervids have been previously reported as individual cases from various regions of the United States and include microphthalmia, anophthalmia, congenital cataracts, dermoids, and colobomata. A common underlying cause for these abnormalities, such as nutritional deficiencies, environmental toxin exposures, or genetic mutations, has not been established. This retrospective study summarized and compared cases of suspected congenital ocular abnormalities in free-ranging white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) in Athens, Georgia, to the preexisting literature. Of 3645 accessions of white-tailed deer submitted to SCWDS, 15 qualifying case records were found. An additional 15 cases were reported previously in the literature. Conditions described in SCWDS cases included microphthalmia (8/15), congenital cataracts (3/15), anophthalmia (2/15), colobomata (1/15), anterior segment dysgenesis (1/15), ectopic lacrimal gland tissue (1/15), and congenital blindness with corneal opacity (1/15). Most (11/15; 73%) of the SCWDS cases were male fawns with an average age of 4 months at presentation, consistent with previously described cases. Most animals had bilateral abnormalities with few extraocular congenital abnormalities, also consistent with existing reports. Cases were variably tested for various infectious agents at the time of submission; 2 cases were seropositive for bluetongue virus. Spatiotemporal clustering of cases was not evident. This study provided a concise and systematic summary of known existing cases of congenital ocular defects in fawns but did not identify a cause.