Occurrence of severe mucosal form of contagious ecthyma in mature sheep

Document Type : Case Report

Authors

1 Razi Vaccine & Serum Research Institute

2 Iranian Veterinary Organization, Zanjan

3 Iranian Veterinary Organization, Abhar

4 Iranian Veterinary Organization, Qazvin

5 Department of Epidemiology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute

10.22092/vj.2024.365409.2137

Abstract

Contagious ecthyma (Orf) is a worldwide distributed zoonotic viral disease of sheep and goat with significant economic impacts. The disease is often known with the proliferative skin lesions outside the buccal cavity of young animals. In this report, occurrence of the severe mucosal form of contagious ecthyma in mature sheep is described. The disease was observed in a number of mature animals in a sheep flock which exhibited increased heart and respiratory rates, highly disseminated erosive lesions on the tongue, dental pad, gums and interior face of the lips. As clinical examinations proposed that the flock was affected by contagious ecthyma, sample specimens from the mucosal lesions was taken and subjected to molecular virology test (PCR) which tentatively confirmed that the sheep flock is affected by contagious ecthyma. The sick sheep which were treated with supportive therapy and care, eventually recovered from the disease.

Investigations revealed that due to the drought, the affected sheep grazed on the poor pasture containing thorny Astragalus and Rosa persica which may have facilitated the mucosal form of the disease manifested. This report emphasizes the importance of contagious ecthyma virus to create oral mucosal lesions which must be differentiated the lesions from the similar mucosal diseases.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Veterinary Research & Biological Products

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 09 June 2024

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 14 April 2024
  • Revise Date: 26 May 2024
  • Accept Date: 09 June 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics