First U.S. Case of Vesicular Stomatitis in 2006 Reported in Wyoming

August 23, 2006 — 
  [ES]

This year's index case of vesicular stomatitis (VS) has been identified in a 10-year-old horse in Natrona County, Wyoming (near Casper). The last confirmed case of VS in the U.S. was in late 2005.

VS is a viral disease which primarily affects horses, cattle, and swine and occasionally sheep and goats. VS is of particular concern because of its clinical resemblance to Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). In affected livestock, VS causes blister-like lesions to form in the mouth and on the dental pad, tongue, lips, nostrils, hooves, and teats. These blisters swell and break, leaving raw tissue that is so painful that infected animals generally refuse to eat and drink, and show signs of lameness.

The clinically ill horse was positive for antibodies to vesicular stomatitis New Jersey (VS-NJ) virus on the competitive ELISA and was also positive on virus isolation for VS-NJ virus.

Source:
ProMED-mail, August 18, 2006