Transmission patterns of malignant catarrhal fever in sheep and cattle in Karnataka, India.
Vet Res Commun
; 48(5): 3437-3443, 2024 Oct.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39133398
ABSTRACT
Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) presents a sporadic yet significant threat to livestock and wildlife. A comprehensive investigation in Karnataka, India into the prevalence and transmission patterns of sheep-associated MCF (SA-MCF) was conducted. A total of 507 sheep peripheral blood leukocyte samples from 13 districts along with 27 cows and 10 buffalo samples from various regions in Karnataka were tested for SA-MCF infection i.e. Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) using heminested PCR. Furthermore, serum samples collected from 73 cows and 15 buffalo suspected of MCF were tested using a commercially available ELISA kit. Additionally, histopathological examinations of affected tissues and phylogenetic analysis of viral tegument protein sequences were conducted. Our findings indicated a 20.11%, 33.33% and 20% positivity for OvHV-2 in sheep, cows and buffalo respectively by PCR. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between the age of sheep and the detection of OvHV-2. Seven cows and one buffalo serum samples tested positive for ELISA. Clinical findings in bovids were consistent with typical MCF signs, and histopathological results revealed multi-organ involvement characterised by necrotising vasculitis and lymphoid hyperplasia. The nucleotide pairwise identity matrix revealed 99.5% identity between the sequences obtained in the study with sequences from other states. The phylogenetic analysis of partial tegument protein sequences from bovid and sheep samples suggested a close genetic relationship between the local OvHV-2 strains and those from various global regions. Crucially, this study underscores the widespread presence of SA-MCF in Karnataka, with significant implications for both livestock management and wildlife conservation.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Phylogeny
/
Buffaloes
/
Gammaherpesvirinae
/
Malignant Catarrh
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Vet Res Commun
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
India
Country of publication:
Switzerland