Vesicular Stomatitis

Overview
• Organism
• Economic Impact
• Epidemiology
• Transmission
• Clinical Signs
• Diagnosis and Treatment
• Prevention and Control
• Actions to Take

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
The Organism
 Vesicular Stomatitis Virus
• RNA Vesiculovirus
– Family Rhabdoviridae
– Major serotypes
• VSV-NJ and VSV-I
• Affects horses, cattle,
swine, camelids, humans

– Sheep and goats resistant

• Closely resembles exotic vesicular
diseases including FMD
Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
Importance
 History
• Early 1800s
– Horse illness resembling VSV
• 1927: Virus identified
• 1950s: Human infections recorded
• 1982-83: Outbreak in western U.S.
– Previously, epizootic waves typical
– Now an annual occurrence in U.S.

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 Recent Outbreaks
• 1998-99: NM, CO, TX; 130 positives
• 2004-05: TX, NM, CO; 470 positives
• 2005: Nine states; 786 positives
• 2006: WY; 29 positives
• 2009: TX, NM; 7 positives
• 2010: AZ; 4 positives

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Economic Impact
• 1928: California dairy herds
– $97 to 202 lost per head
• 1995: New Mexico beef herd
– $53 lost per head
• Losses due to:
– Increased culling, increased mortality
– Reduced milk production
– Labor, medicine, veterinary costs

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
Epidemiology
 Geographic Distribution
• Western hemisphere
– North, Central, and South America
• Emergence in eastern hemisphere?
– 2009: Bahrain, Laos (suspected)
– 2009: Pakistan (limited regions)
• Southwest U.S.
– Outbreaks in warmer regions
• Southeast U.S.: enzootic cycle
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 Morbidity/ Mortality
• Morbidity
– Range: 5 to 90%
– Most animals seroconvert
• Mortality
– Higher in adults
– Death rare in cattle and horses

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
Transmission
 Animal Transmission
• Vectors Sandfly

– Sandflies
– Blackflies
– Seasonal outbreaks
• Direct contact
– Infected animals
– Contaminated objects
Blackfly

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 Human Transmission
• Direct contact
– Infected tissues, vesicular fluid, saliva
• Insect bites
– Blackfly, sandfly
• Aerosol
– Laboratory settings

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Disease in Animals
 Clinical Signs
• Incubation period
– 3 to 5 days
• Fever and vesicles that
resemble FMD
• Horses severely affected
– Oral lesions
• Drooling, chomping,
mouth rubbing, lameness
– Coronary band lesions
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 Clinical Signs
• Cattle, pigs
– Vesicular lesions
• Oral, mammary gland,
coronary band,
interdigital region
– Usually isolated to
one body area
– Salivation, lameness
• Recover within 2 weeks

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 Foot & Mouth Vesicular Swine Vesicular Vesicular
Disease Stomatitis Disease Exanthema of
Swine
Clinical
All vesicular diseases produce a fever with vesicles that progress to
Signs by
Species erosions in the mouth, nares, muzzle, teats, and feet

Oral & hoof lesions,

salivation, drooling, Vesicles in oral
lameness, abortions, cavity, mammary
Cattle death in young glands, coronary Not affected Not affected
animals, "panters"; bands, interdigital
Disease space
Indicators

Severe signs in
Severe hoof lesions,
animals housed on
hoof sloughing, snout Deeper lesions with
concrete; lameness,
Pigs vesicles, less severe Same as cattle
salivation,
granulation tissue
oral lesions: formation on the feet
neurological signs,
Amplifying Hosts
younger more
severe

Sheep & Mild signs if any; Rarely show signs Not affected Not affected
Goats Maintenance Hosts

Most severe with

Horses, oral and coronary
band vesicles,
Donkeys, Not affected
drooling, rub
Not affected Not affected
Mules mouths on objects,
lameness

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 Post Mortem Lesions
• Gross lesions
– Erosive, ulcerative lesions
– Oral cavity, nostrils, teats,
coronary band
• Histopathology
– Degeneration of
epithelial cells

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Differential Diagnosis for Vesicular Stomatitis Virus
  Cattle Swine Sheep Horses
FMD X X X  

Swine Vesicular Disease   X    

Vesicular Stomatitis Virus X X X X

Vesicular Exanthema of Swine   X    

Chemical burn X X X X

Thermal burn X X X X

Rinderpest X      

IBR X      

BVD X      

Malignant Catarrhal Fever X      

Bluetongue X   X  

Contagious Ecthyma   X

Lip/Leg Ulceration     X  

Foot Rot X X

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Sampling
• Before collecting or sending any
samples, the proper authorities
should be contacted

• Samples should only be sent under

secure conditions and to authorized
laboratories to prevent the spread of
the disease

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Clinical Diagnosis
• Vesicular diseases are
clinically indistinguishable!
• But, symptoms in horses
are suggestive
– Salivation and lameness
• VSV vs. FMD
– VSV less contagious
– VSV lesions generally
found in one area of the body
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 Laboratory Diagnosis
• Virus isolation
• Viral antigen detection
– Vesicular fluid or epithelium
– ELISA, complement fixation,
virus neutralization
• Antibody tests
– Paired serum samples
– ELISA, complement fixation,
virus neutralization
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 Treatment
• No specific treatment available
• Supportive care
– Fresh, clean water
• Electrolytes if necessary
– Soft feeds
• Antibiotics for secondary infection
• Good prognosis
• Production animals may suffer losses
Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
Disease in Humans
 Clinical Signs in Humans
• Incubation period: 1 to 6 days
• Influenza-like symptoms
– Headache, fever, retrobulbar pain,
malaise, nausea, limb and back pain,
oral vesicles (rare)
• Self-limiting disease, supportive care
• Recovery can be prolonged
• Death is rare

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 Diagnosis in Humans
• Clinical diagnosis difficult
– Flu-like illness
– Many do not seek treatment
• Differentials include:
– Coxsackie A group viruses
(Hand, foot and mouth disease)
– Herpes simplex
• Diagnosis via serology

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 Public Health Significance
• Low incidence of human illness
• Chance of infection when handling
contaminated tissues
– Biosafety level 3
– Personal protective equipment
• Rarely causes vesicle formation
• Recover in 4 to 7 days

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Prevention and Control
 Recommended Actions
• IMMEDIATELY notify authorities
• Federal
– Area Veterinarian in Charge (AVIC)
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/area_offices/

• State
– State veterinarian
http://www.usaha.org/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf

• Quarantine

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 Disinfection
• Easily inactivated
– Area must be free of organic matter
– Contact time of at least 10 minutes
• Disinfectants
– Phenolic, halogen-based disinfectants
– Soda ash, 2% iodophores
– Chlorine dioxide, 1% chlorine bleach
– 1% cresylic acid
– Quaternary ammonium
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 Vaccination
• Vaccines used in some endemic
regions of Central, South America
• Vaccines may be available during
an outbreak
– Efficacy is unknown
• Contact state veterinarian for
availability information

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Prevention
• Do not buy from positive herds
for 3 months post-infection
• Avoid grazing at peak insect
feeding hours
• Segregation and isolation necessary
for controlling spread
• Sanitation
• Insect control programs
Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Additional Resources
• World Organization for Animal Health
(OIE)
– www.oie.int
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
– www.aphis.usda.gov
• Center for Food Security and Public Health
– www.cfsph.iastate.edu
• USAHA Foreign Animal Diseases
(“The Gray Book”)
– www.usaha.org/pubs/fad.pdf

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011
 Acknowledgments
Development of this presentation
was funded by grants from
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency
Management Division, and the Iowa Department
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
to the Center for Food Security and Public
Health at Iowa State University.

Authors: Danelle Bickett-Weddle, DVM; Anna Rovid Spickler, DVM, PhD; Kristina August,
DVM; James A. Roth, DVM, PhD
Reviewers: Bindy Comito Sornsin, BA; Kerry Leedom Larson, DVM, MPH, PhD

Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University, 2011