Synonyms

 

 

 

No known synonym

 

 

 

Name of the disease in English

 

 

 

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease-EHD

 

 

 

The disease in brief

 

Disease notifiable to the OIE-2018

 

This is an acute disease of wild deer that is transmitted to cattle by Culicoides midges and other biting insects such as mosquitoes; it is misnamed for cattle because, like bluetongue disease in sheep, in cattle this fever is not hemorrhagic: This EHD is caused by an Orbivirus, like FCO, and like FCO, there are many serotypes, with variable clinical pictures: It is prevalent in deer in many countries and 2 serotypes are present in the United States.

 

 

 

It manifests itself clinically such as Bluetongue (BTC): That is to say, often without detectable clinical signs.

 

 

 

Clinic & diagnosis

 

 

 

EHD is suspected when faced with a bluetongue disease that occurs in cattle vaccinated against the serotype that is supposed to protect them; we are therefore faced with a wide variety of clinical pictures; apart from this resistance to the vaccine, the clinician cannot distinguish between bluetongue disease and epizootic hemorrhagic disease: These are cattle in pasture, in the summer, which will show various signs combined with fever or combined with each other:

 

 

 

–Lesions on the muzzle : Lesions of various appearances: erythema, erosions or excoriations, etc.

 

 

 

–Lesions of the nostrils : Serous or purulent discharge, nasal mucosa with erosions

 

 

 

- Lesions in the mouth : Inflamed or swollen and painful mouth walls, or superficial ulcer lesions (<1.5cm) on the lips or ridge. or gums or posterior palate

 

 

 

- Lesions on the teats : Swollen and red or excoriated/crusted lesions on the teat skin or a hemorrhagic pitting of the skin (petechiae), or scabs on the teat skin, the epidermis has disappeared leaving a superficial erosion, or the skin is as if burned (white or light part and pigmented part) or ulcers or ulcerated areas (may surround the teat)

 

 

 

-Limbs injuries : Edema in the sloping area, or the fetlock balls are swollen, or congestion of the crown and the interdigital space, or the cattle limp, or he slowly walks with a hunchbacked gait, or walks like on pins.

 

 

 

–Regarding the eyes : Congestion of the conjunctiva, the eyes cry, he closes his eyes.

 

Mortality is low, limited to cattle with painful oral forms which lose weight until death.

 

 

 

Typical sign of the disease

 

 

 

No description

 

 

 

Pictures

 

 

 

See below

 

 

 

Diagnostic formulas

 

 

 

No description

 

 

 

Differential diagnosis

 

-Bluetongue fever -MC2

 

-Foot and mouth disease MC

 

-Acute mucous membrane disease DG44.5

 

-Papular stomatitis DG10

 

-Helitis ulcerative herpetic MA47

 

 

 

Confirm a suspicion?

 

 

 

A blood test on a dry tube and a tube on EDTA should allow a serological test and a PCR test to be carried out to confirm the suspicion.

 

 

 

Prognosis and treatment

 

 

 

The prognosis is not often life-threatening in cattle with the majority of strains. The economic prognosis is more bleak for herds in the region where a new strain is revealed.

 

There is no specific treatment, but symptomatic treatment:

 

-An anti-inflammatory treatment

 

-Local treatment of skin lesions

 

 

 

Prevention

 

 

 

The prevention strategy is provided and organized by the health authorities.

 

 

 

References

 

- Rebhun's disease of dairy cattle; Various DJs, Peek SF 3^rd edition by Ed. Saunders Elsevier