Detection of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever from clinical cases in Ethiopian cattle

Mucoid nasal discharge, loss of weight, decreased milk production, diarrhoea, salivation, dyspnoea, fever, lacrimation, bilateral corneal opacity and bloody urine were observed in cattle located in the Arbe Gona district of southern Ethiopia. The disease was associated with a high case fatality rate: diseased cattle died within four to five days after showing clinical signs. The clinical presentation, gross pathological observations, histopathological findings and epidemiological data strongly suggested malignant catarrhal fever. Subsequently, the ovine herpesvirus type 2 (OvHV-2) DNA polymerase (UL30) gene was detected in pathological tissue samples using pan-herpesvirus nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. As far as the authors are aware, this is the first report of a diagnostic investigation resulting in the detection of ovine OvHV-2 in cattle and confirming the existence of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever in Ethiopia.