Vet. Pathol. 24477-487 (1987) Cutaneous Neoplasms in Dogs Associated with

Abstract. A spectrum of proliferative cutaneous lesions occurred in 12 dogs at the injection site of live canine oral papillomavirus (COP) vaccine, suggesting a viral etiology for the masses. Lesions included epidermal hyperplasia, epidermal cysts, squamous papilloma, basal cell epithelioma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Per-oxidase-antiperoxidase staining of tumor sections revealed nuclei which stained for group-specific papilloma-virus antigen in five of 12 masses. Electron microscopic examination of tumor sections did not reveal virions. In transmission studies, macerated tumor tissue did not produce oral papillomas on the scarified mucosa of puppies; this procedure did protect the puppies from development of lesions when challenged with infectious papilloma material. These findings are evidence that COP can induce hyperplastic and neoplastic lesions in sites other than oral, pharyngeal, and ocular mucosa. Canine oral papillomatosis is a contagious disease of young dogs caused by a member of the papilloma-virus genus in the family Pap~vaviridae.' ~ The mul-tiple papillomas produced by natural infection with canine oral papillomavirus (COP) are usually restricted in location to structures within the oropharynx and ar