Skip to main content
Download PDF
  • Published:

An Outbreak of Mucosal Disease in a Dairy Herd

Eit utbrot av mucosal disease i ein buskap av mjølkekyr

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 30, pages 321–327 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

An outbreak of mucosal disease (MD) was studied in a dairy herd, comprising 12 cows, 9 heifers and 18 calves. During a period of 1 month, six 5 to 8 month-old calves showed typical signs of MD. They all died or were killed in extremis after 2-8 days with progressively worsening clinical signs. Post mortem lesions were examined in one calf. Non-cytopathogenic MD virus was isolated from serum or tissues from 3 clinically affected calves and from 1 healthy heifer. All cows and heifers except for the viremic one possessed neutralizing antibodies against bovine pestivirus. According to the current MD-pathogenesis concept, the affected calves were probably infected transplacentally during the first half of foetal life with pestivirus from the persistently infected heifer in the herd.

Sammendrag

Eit utbrot av mucosal disease (MD) vart undersøkt i ein buskap av Norsk Rødt Fe som omfatta 12 mjølkekyr, 9 kviger og 18 kalvar. I eit tidsrom av 1 månad viste 6 kalvar typiske teikn på MD. Alle desse kalvane døydde eller vart avliva i moribund tilstand etter ein 2–8 dagars periode med forverrande sjukdom.

Noncytopatogent MD virus vart isolert frå serum eller vev frå 3 sjuke kalvar og l frisk kvige. Alle kyrne og kvigene utanom den eine som vart funne viremisk, hadde nøytraliserande antistoff i serum mot bovint pestivirus. I samsvar med patogenesen ved MD vart dei affiserte kalvane truleg infiserte transplacentalt i første halvdel av Fosterlivet med pestivirus frå den persistent infiserte kviga i buskapen.

References

  • Acland HMT, Gard GP, Plant JW: Infection of sheep with mucosal disease virus. Aust. vet. J. 1972, 48, 70.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baker JA, York CJ, Gillespie JH, Mitchell GB: Virus diarrhea in cattle. Amer. J. vet. Res. 1954, 15, 525–531.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barber DML, Nettleton PF, Herring JA: Disease in a dairy herd associated with the introduction and spread of bovine virus diarrhoea virus. Vet. Rec. 1985, 117, 459–464.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barker IA, van Dreumel AA: The alimentary system. In: K. V. F. Jubb, P. C. Kennedy & N. Palmer (eds.): Pathology of Domestic Animals. Academic press, Inc., 3.ed. 1985, vol. 2, pp. 95–100.

  • Brownlie J: Clinical aspects of the bovine virus diarrhoea/mucosal disease complex in cattle. In Practice 1985, 7, 195–202.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brownlie J, Clarke MC, Howard CJ: Experimental production of fatal mucosal disease in cattle. Vet. Rec. 1984, 114, 535–536.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brownlie J, Clarke MC, Howard CJ: Clinical and experimental mucusal disease - defining a hypothesis for pathogenesis. In: J. W. Harkness (ed.): Agriculture. Pestivirus infections of ruminants. Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 1987, p. 147–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cottral GE (ed.): Manual of Standardized Methods of Veterinary Microbiology. Comstock Publishing Associates, Cornell Univ. Press, Ithaca and London 1978, p. 360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cranwell MP, Drew TW: Mucosal disease in cattle. Vet. Rec. 1984, 114, 229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffell SJ, Harkness JW: Bovine virus diarrhoea- mucosal disease infection in cattle. Vet. Rec. 1985, 117, 240–245.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fernelius AL, Lambert G, Hemness GJ: Bovine viral diarrhea virushost cell interactions: Adaptationand growth of virus in cell lines. Amer. J. vet. Res. 1969, 30, 1561–1572.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • French EL, Snowdon WA: Mucosal disease in Australian cattle. Aust. vet. J. 1964, 40, 99–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frey HR, Liess B, Peters W, Roming L, Lehmann B: Account of the etiological relation of BVD virus infections in cattle to clinically suspect cases of bovine viral diarrhoea. In: J. W. Harkness (ed.): Agriculture. Pestivirus infections of ruminants. Luxembourg, Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 1987, p. 123–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardiner AC, Nettleton PF, Barlow RM: Virology and immunology of a spontaneous and experimental mucosal disease-like syndrome in sheep recovered from clinical border disease. J. comp. Path. 1983, 93, 463–469.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie JH, Baker JA, McEntee K: A cytopathoge- nic strain of virus diarrhea virus. Cornell Vet. 1960, 50, 73–79.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harkness JW, Roeder PL, Wood L: Mucosal disease in cattle. Vet. Rec. 1984, 114, 186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahrs RF, Robson DS, Baker JA: Epidemiological considerations for the control of bovine virus diarrhea. Proc. 70th Ann. Meet, U.S., Livestock San. Ass., New York 1966, p. 145–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Littlejohns IR, Walker KH: Aetiology and pathogenesis of mucosal disease of cattle: Current concepts, observations and speculation. Aust. vet. J. 1985, 62, 101–103.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loken T, Hyllseth B, Larsen HJ: Border disease in Norway. Serological examination of affected sheep flocks. Acta vet. scand. 1982, 23, 46–52.

    Article  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Malmquist WA: Bovine viral diarrhea - mucosal disease: Etiology, pathogenesis, and applied immunity. J. Amer. vet. med. Assoc. 1968, 152, 763–768.

    Google Scholar 

  • McClurkin AW, Bolin SR, Coria MF: Isolation of cytopathic and noncytopathic bovine viral diarrhea virus from the spleen of cattle acutely and chronically affected with bovine viral diarrhea. J. Amer. vet. med. Assoc. 1985, 186, 568–569.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McClurkin AW, Coria MF, Cutlip RC: Reproductive performance of apparently healthy cattle persistently infected with bovine viral diarrhea virus. J. Amer. vet. med. Assoc. 1979, 174, 1116–1119.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meyling A: An immunoperoxidase (PO) technique for detection of BVD virus in serum of clinically and subclinically infected cattle. Proc. 3rd. Int. Symp. of Vet. Lab. Diagn., Ames 1983, p. 179–184.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olafson P, MacCallum AD, Fox FH: An apparently new transmissible disease of cattle. Cornell Vet. 1946, 36, 205–213.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ramsey FK, Chivers WH: Mucosal disease of cattle. N. Amer. Vet. 1953, 34, 629–633.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeder PL: Bovine mucosal disease - a persistent viral infection. Proc. 7th. Int. Symp. of the World Ass. of Vet. Mier., Imm. and Spec, in Inf. Diseases (W.A.V.M.). Barcelona 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roeder PL, Drew TW: Mucosal disease of cattle: A late sequel to fetal infection. Vet. Rec. 1984, 114, 309–313.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roeder PL, Jeffrey M, Cranwell MP: Pestivirus fe- topathogenicity in cattle: Changing sequelae with fetal maturation. Vet. Rec. 1986, 118, 44–48.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Saxegaard F, Bratberg B, Ek N: Isolation and identification of bovine viral diarrhea/mucosal disease virus (BVD/MD virus) from an atypical case resembling malignant catarrhal fever (MCF). Acta vet. scand. 1971, 12, 601–693.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Ward GM: Experimental infection of pregnant sheep with bovine viral diarrhoea - mucosal disease virus. Cornell Vet. 1971, 61, 179–191.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitmore HL, Zemjanis R, Olson J: Effect of bovine viral diarrhea virus on conception in cattle. J. Amer. vet. med. Assoc. 1981, 178, 1065–1067.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zemjanis R, Hurtgen JP: Early prenatal deaths in cattle caused by BVD-MD virus. Sum. 20th. World Vet. Congr., Thessaloniki 1975, vol. 2, p. 853.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are indebted to Dr. H. Stenwig, National Veterinary Institute, Oslo, for bacteriological examinations, and to the herd owner for all his assistance and detailed registrations.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Veterinary Institute, P. O. Box 8156, Dep., N-0033 Oslo 1, Oslo, Norway

    T. Loken, H. Gamlem & O. Lysbakken

Authors
  1. T. Loken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. Gamlem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. O. Lysbakken
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Loken, T., Gamlem, H. & Lysbakken, O. An Outbreak of Mucosal Disease in a Dairy Herd. Acta Vet Scand 30, 321–327 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548038

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03548038

Keywords

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147