Lumpy Skin Disease: A threat to India’s dairy industry

We have been hearing a lot about dangerous viruses since the COVID-19 pandemic, including the most recent monkeypox, the Marburg virus, and others. Along with humans, animals are now on their list of targets. It seems that the malicious viruses on earth are planning something big that is unfathomable to us. You have indeed read it right. Recent reports of cow fatalities in various Indian states (like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana) are related to an epidemic of lumpy skin disease. Since it has already killed over 14,000 cattle in Rajasthan, there is growing concern about it. The state’s first lumpy care centre has therefore been established by the Jaipur Greater Municipal Corporation at the city’s Hingonia Gaushala.

 

Lumpy skin disease is an emerging bovine viral disease that is endemic in most African countries and the Middle East. For the first time in India in 2019, it was reported in Odisha. In the initial years, it was mainly restricted to the eastern part of our country. Later, it expanded quickly to nearly all of the states in the country. According to recent research, cattle are mostly affected by LSD, but it may also cause a moderate disease in buffalo, camels, deer, and horses. Since 2019, several outbreaks of LSD have been reported in Asia. Recently, on July 27, the Gujarat government banned the transport of livestock out of 14 affected districts. Around 11 lakh cattle have been vaccinated against the disease, and the National Dairy Development Board has supplied 28 lakh doses of goat poxvaccine to Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Punjab, bought from a private entity called Hester Biosciences. Two ICAR institutions, the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), Izatnagar, U.P and the National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE), have recently produced a homologous live-attenuated LSD vaccine known as “Lumpi-ProVacInd.” In response to the recent outbreak of Lumpy skin disease and to prevent its further spread, the central government intends to commercialise this vaccine.

 

The Tribune news agency has reported more than 60,000 cases of LSD so far and over 2,100 cattle deaths in Punjab. At our university hospital, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, multiple cases of lumpy skin disease in cows are presented, mainly from Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Jalandhar, Moga, and Muktsar, and these are among the worst-affected districts of the state. In a telephone conversation with vets from Jammu, it was revealed that lumpy skin disease is a matter of concern in Rspura, Jammu as well. The Jammu and Kashmir administration is getting ready to activate its quick reaction system in the animal husbandry department after discovering a few cases of “Lumpy Skin” disease in cows. The department has established testing facilities, a fast reaction team, a helpline, a door-to-door campaign, advisories, and division-level monitoring and surveillance teams.

 

 

The current outbreak of LSD began in India in July 2022 but had been spreading in Pakistan for a few months before that. So, it becomes important for us to know about this fast-spreading, contagious viral disease in animals. The economic impact of this illness is also a major issue since it might disrupt international trade and be used as a tool for economic agro terrorism. In Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, the illness has now become a deadly menace to large domesticated ruminants. Due to its potential for rapid spread and substantial economic losses, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has classified this transboundary sickness as a notifiable disease but not as zoonotic. However, the milk of cows should be properly boiled before consumption.

 

What is lumpy skin disease?

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is an infectious disease in cattle and water buffalo. It is caused by the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV), a member of the Poxviridae family that is closely linked to the sheep and goat pox viruses. Thin-skinned cattle that have been imported or crossed are more vulnerable than native breeds with thicker skin. All age groups of animals are susceptible to the illness, although young calves are especially vulnerable and may acquire the distinctive lesion within 24 to 48 hours. Especially in dried scabs, the lumpy skin disease virus may survive for a very long time at ambient temperatures. The virus reportedly lingers in desiccated crusts for up to 35 days, in necrotic skin nodules for up to 33 days, and in air-dried hides for at least 18 days.

 

Since the virus may persist for a long period in lesions or scabs, skin lesions are thought to be the primary sites of infection. Blood, saliva, semen, nasal, lacrimal, and milk secretions can all excrete the virus. Arthropods, notably blood-sucking insects (such as mosquitoes and ticks), infected food and water, and in the final stages, saliva, nasal secretions, and semen are the main transmission channels for this illness. Fever, inappetence, nasal discharge, salivation, lacrimation, swollen lymph nodes, a significant decrease in milk production, weight loss, and occasional mortality are among the disease’s symptoms. The morbidity rate ranges from 5% to 45% (and possibly up to 100%), whereas the mortality rate is normally around 10% (and can occasionally reach 40%). Additionally, the condition is distinguished by hard, slightly elevated, confined skin nodules that range in size from 2 to 7 cm and commonly develop on the neck, legs, tail, and back soon after the commencement of fever. Edema and lameness in the legs have been observed in certain cases. Sometimes, the virus may cause orchitis, mastitis, and abortion.

 

As a result of severe disease, keratitis, diarrhea, lameness, pneumonia, and mastitis have all been reported. A warm, humid environment, the addition of additional animals to a herd, and circumstances like periodic rains that foster an abundant vector population are risk factors linked to the development of LSD. Moreover, the direction and strength of the wind may likely contribute to the virus’s spread. African buffaloes, blue wildebeest, eland, giraffe, impala, and greater kudu are among the other species that have been identified as seropositive for the virus. Wildlife’s contribution to the epidemiology of LSD, however, is still poorly understood. Due to a high fever and subsequent mastitis, LSD significantly reduces milk yield (from 10% to 85%) from an economic perspective. Additional impacts of the disease include damaged hides, reduced growth rate of beef cattle, temporary or permanent infertility, abortion, treatment and immunisation costs, and the demise of affected animals.

Despite a primary clinical diagnosis of LSD, the confirmatory diagnosis is certified using traditional PCR or real-time PCR methods. Other methods used for diagnosis include electron microscopy, viral isolation, virus neutralization, and serological methods. The following illnesses, such as pseudo-lumpy skin disease, bovine viral diarrhea, Demodex, bovine malignant catarrhal fever, rinderpest, besnoitiosis, onchocerciasis, and insect bite allergies, can be mistaken for LSD. The virus that causes lumpy skin disease has no recognised treatment. To treat secondary bacterial infections, fever, inflammation, or to increase the animal’s appetite, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, or an injection of vitamins are often administered.

 

Prevention and Control 

In addition to movement restrictions and the evacuation of sick animals, vaccination is the only method that may successfully control the sickness in endemic areas. Veterinary professionals and everybody who works with cattle need to be educated so they can recognise clinical cases immediately and halt the spread of disease. Both homologous (the Neethling LSDV strain) and heterologous (the sheeppox or goatpox virus) live attenuated vaccines can effectively protect cattle against LSD infection. Additionally, eradication methods including quarantine, slaughtering of infected and in-contact animals, proper disposal of carcasses, cleaning and sanitising of the facilities, and insect control must be implemented as soon as possible during the outbreak. So, prevention is better than cure.

 

 

(The Author is Assistant Professor cum Junior Scientist, Dept. of Medicine, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, Punjab)

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