Chronic Folliculitis Associated with Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2-Induced Infections in Dairy Cows from Southern Brazil

Ovine gammaherpesvirus 2 (OvGHV2) is a Macavirus and the cause of sheep-associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA-MCF) in susceptible mammalian hosts worldwide. OvGHV2 may produce typical clinical manifestations of SA-MCF or subclinical infections. Additionally, OvGHV2 is associated with cutaneous lesions in ruminants, with few documented reports of this unusual manifestation worldwide. This paper presents the pathological, immunohistochemical (IHC), and molecular findings observed in outbreaks of OvGHV2-related skin infections in dairy cattle from Southern Brazil. Cutaneous scrapings (n = 35) and biopsies (n = 6) were obtained from dairy cows derived from three farms. All cows (n = 35) developed widespread, ulcerative to scaly and erythematous skin lesions, and had no contact with sheep or goats. The biopsies were evaluated for histopathological diagnosis and then used in IHC analyses designed to detect malignant catarrhal fever virus (MCFV) antigens and to evaluate the inflammatory response. All scrapings and biopsies were used in PCR assays to amplify OvGHV2. Additionally, all biopsies were used in PCR assays to detect bovine gammaherpesvirus 6 (BoGHV6), bovine alphaherpesvirus 1 (BoAHV1), and poxvirus. Histopathology revealed chronic folliculitis in all biopsies. IHC detected intralesional, intracytoplasmic MCFV antigens in most (83.3%; 5/6) of the cutaneous lesions with folliculitis. These skin lesions showed a strong T-cell response, macrophage clusters, and caspase-positive follicular keratinocytes. OvGHV2 DNA was detected in 66.7% (4/6) of the cutaneous biopsies that contained MCFV antigens and in 8.6% (3/35) of the cutaneous scrapings. The DNA of BoGHV6, BoAHV1, and Poxvirus was not amplified from any of the cutaneous biopsies. These findings demonstrated that OvGHV2 was associated with the cutaneous lesions in dairy cows at these farms and represent the first description of OvGHV2-related skin disease in ruminants from Brazil and the entire Latin America. A review of previous cases of skin lesions associated with infections by OvGHV2 revealed that most cases had a histological diagnosis of folliculitis, suggesting that folliculitis may be associated with OvGHV2-related skin infections. Additionally, this investigation contrasts all previous reports of OvGHV2-related skin disease in ruminants, since the infected cows herein identified were not reared concomitantly or within proximity of the asymptomatic reservoir host. Furthermore, the possible form of OvGHV2 dissemination to the susceptible cows during this study is discussed.