Sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever involving 3-5-week-old calves in Saudi Arabia

Between late December 1999 and late April 2000, three locally bred Friesian calves (ageing 25, 28 and 35 days) in a dairy farm, at Al-Ahsa locality of the eastern region of Saudi Arabia showed dullness and inappetence. Their rectal temperatures ranged between 41 and 41.5 degrees C. One to 2 days later and onwards, the calves showed lacrimation, nasal discharge, salivation, oedema of the head, conjunctivitis, exo-ophthalmia and corneal opacity. One calf showed diarrhoea. The superficial lymph nodes were oedematous and swollen. The calves died after 7, 5 and 8 days, respectively, following the onset of the disease. Calves and rabbits were experimentally infected with materials from the naturally infected calves. The rabbits showed fever, mild conjunctivitis and one rabbit showed wet faeces. The experimentally inoculated calves showed rise in temperature and mild symptoms but none of them died. The virus from the naturally infected calves and from the experimentally infected rabbits was identified as malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) virus using both the complement fixation test and the fluorescent antibody test, employing a reference anti-serum against the WC 11 strain of MCF virus. Serological survey for MCF antibodies in cattle, sheep and goats from the affected farm revealed that 54% of the examined animals were positive. The situation of MCF in Saudi Arabia was discussed in relation to sheep and wild game. This paper constitutes the first report of MCF in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf region.