Lumpy skin disease virus different from 2019 version

Tags: National Science and Technology National News

The Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) virus that has killed nearly 50,000 cattle in India this year may be structurally different from the version of the virus prevalent in India in 2019.

A new vaccine is being developed to protect cattle from this disease.

IMPORTANT FACTS -

What is Lumpy Skin Disease ?

• It is caused by infection of cattle or  buffalo with the poxvirus Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV).

• The virus is one of three closely related species of the genus Capripoxavirus.

• The other two species are Sheeppox virus and Goatpox virus.

• Due to its infectious nature and its impact on the economy, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOIE) has declared it a notable disease.

Symptoms of disease :

• The main symptoms are fever in animals, discharge from eyes and nose, saliva from the mouth, lump-like soft blisters all over the body, decreased milk production, difficulty in eating, which sometimes leads to the death of the cattles.

Transmission of disease :

• The virus is easily transmitted through blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes, flies and ticks, and through saliva and contaminated water and food.

• The virus was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in 2019 in north west China, Bangladesh and India.

• There is no treatment available for the disease.

Vaccine for disease :

• The vaccine Lumpi-ProVacInd, jointly developed by ICAR’s National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) and the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI).

• Experimental trials with the vaccine on animals afflicted by the ongoing 2022 outbreak have yielded encouraging results.