RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Early diagnosis of lentivirus-induced infiltrative lung disease in sheep by high resolution computed tomography JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP 1456 OP 1459 DO 10.1183/09031936.97.10071456 VO 10 IS 7 A1 JL Cadore A1 P Loubeyre A1 S Vuillermoz A1 I Court-Fortune A1 D Revel A1 JF Mornex YR 1997 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/10/7/1456.abstract AB The visna-maedi lentivirus can induce an interstitial pneumonitis in sheep, and provides a convenient example to study natural or experimental lentiviral pathology. We wanted to determine whether high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is able to detect early morphological changes following lentiviral infection in the lungs. Spontaneously infected adult sheep (n=3) and experimentally infected lambs (n=5) were compared to uninfected controls (n=4). The HRCT scans generally showed abnormal features in infected animals, including: increased parenchymal density; alveolar oedema; thickened interlobular septa; and increased density in peribronchiolar areas. HRCT was more sensitive than chest radiography for the early diagnosis of interstitial pneumonitis, although one sheep with advanced disease and radiographic and histopathological abnormalities had a paradoxically normal scan. One control animal showed minor abnormalities on scanning, which were probably due to the procedure used for anaesthesia. The HRCT observations were confirmed by postmortem histological examination of the lungs. In conclusion, high resolution computed tomography provides a noninvasive means of following the development of lung pathology in a natural ovine model of lentiviral disease.