Abstract
Wild animals living near human beings are considered a mirror that reflects the environmental burden of different types of infections. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of chameleons in transmitting different diseases in Aseer region in Saudi Arabia.
A total of 30 chameleons (Chamaeleo calyptratus) were collected from different areas in Aseer region and subjected for light and electron microscopic examination.
Gross examination of different body organs revealed no remarkable changes. Histopathological examination showed poikilocytosis of some erythrocytes in hepatic sinusoids of 12 out the 30 examined chameleons. Transmission electron microscopy identified homogenous dense inclusions within the cytoplasm of some erythrocytes in the hepatic sinusoids of those chameleons. Also, transmission electron microscopy revealed presence of completely or partially assembled viral particles both in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of some sinusoidal erythrocytes. Completely assembled viral particles appeared hexagonal with an electron-dense core surrounded by an envelope. These viral particles were identified as an iridovirus consistent with lizard erythrocytic virus.