Professional paper

Demonstration and quantification of ovine herpesvirus 2 in Croatia - a case report

Nenad Turk ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Josipa Habuš ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Martina Friess ; Institute of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zürich, Switzerland
Robert Zobel ; Vetmed d.o.o., Stružec, Croatia
Željko Grabarević ; Department of General Pathology and Pathological Morphology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Ljubo Barbić ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Zrinka Štritof ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Zoran Milas ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Vilim Starešina ; Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases and Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2), a gammaherpesvirus (genus Rhadinovirus) causes a severe disease known as sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF) in certain ruminants, such as cow, deer, bison and water buffalo. Suspected cases of SA-MCF in cows without identififi cation of the agent have been reported in Croatia in the past. In June 2005, on a farm in northwest Croatia, where 17 Simmental diary cows and 2 heifers shared stables and meadows with sheep, a 13 month-old heifer showed symptoms reminiscent of SA-MCF,
including anorexia, high fever, nasal discharge, and neurological symptoms, such as ataxia, tremor, convulsions and hyperesthesia. The animal died within 14 days. Gross necropsy fifi ndings were sharply demarcated erosions on mucosal surfaces, including the tongue, oral mucosa, esophagus, abomasum, jejunum, colon, caecum and urinary bladder. Histopathology revealed extremely severe perivascular and intramural arterial infifi ltrations with mononuclear cells, mostly lymphocytes. These lesions were seen in almost every organ, especially the brain and lungs. Formaldehyde fixed samples from the brain, cerebellum, spleen and lymph nodes were obtained and subjected to DNA extraction procedures. Fluorogenic real-time PCR (Polymerase chain reaction) amplififi cation specific to OvHV-2 DNA was performed and OvHV-2 DNA was detected in the brain, cerebellum and spleen, as well as in the lymph nodes. These data indicate that the animal had been infected with OvHV-2, the agent of SA-MCF. For the first time, OvHV-2 was identified and quantified in a Croatian heifer as the causative agent of SA-MCF.

Keywords

ovine herpesvirus-2; Gammaherpesvirinae; sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever; realtime PCR; heifer

Hrčak ID:

56050

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/56050

Publication date:

8.3.2010.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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