Chinese giant salamander ranavirus (CGSRV) is a new pathogen that has been identified recently in cultured Chinese giant salamanders () and is causing serious damage associated with high morbidity and mortality. In this study, Chinese giant salamanders were infected with an intraperitoneal injection of CGSRV at a concentration of 1.0×10^6.5 TCID₅₀/mL. Liver, spleen, kidney, lung, intestine, stomach, skin, muscle, heart, and brain were collected 0 d, 3 d, 5 d, 7 d, 9 d, 13 d, and 16 d after infection for pathological and tissue tropism examinations. Paraffin sections and hematoxylin and eosin staining were used for the histopathological observations, SYBR Green quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to examine the dynamic quantitative distribution and tissue tropism of CGSRV. The histopathological examination revealed extreme lesions caused by CGSRV in many tissues and organs, particularly in the liver, spleen, kidney, muscle, and skin, and basophilic or eosinophilic inclusions appeared in damaged cells. Hepatocytes and renal tubular epithelial cells had degenerated 3 d after infection, and eosinophils and lymphocytes had infiltrated the renal interstitial and central veins of hepatic lobules. Degeneration, necrosis, and inflammation progressed in parenchymatous organs, and catarrhal inflammation was observed in the gastrointestinal tract after 5-7 d. Necrosis, exfoliation of the epidermis, and degeneration and necrosis of muscle fibers were detected after 9 d. Degeneration, necrosis, and inflammation were extensive in the liver, the number of lymphocytes decreased remarkably, glomerulonephritis with exudation and necrosis was detected in the kidney; hemorrhaging, necrosis and infiltration of inflammatory cells was detected in the skin and muscle, and myocarditis was observed in the heart after 13-16 d. The SYBR Green qPCR results indicated that the number of CGSRV tissue copies increased to 2.36×10³-1.84×10⁹ copies/mg tissue during infection. The number of copies was higher in lung, intestine, liver, spleen, kidney, skin and muscle, indicating that CGSRV has a broad tissue distribution and that the liver, spleen, kidney, skin, and muscle were target organs for viral replication and damage. A positive correlation was observed between the quantity of virus and pathology.