Caprine Herpesvirus-2 in Association with Naturally Occurring Malignant Catarrhal Fever in Captive Sika Deer (Cervus Nippon)

Abstract

Three female sika deer from a single captive herd were submitted for postmortem examination over a 139-day period. The first 2 deer submitted were reported to have lost body mass for 20 days to 1 month before euthanasia. One of these deer had diarrhea, the other had a crusting dermatitis on the nasal planum and inner aspects of both pinnae. The third hind did not have any signs of disease before it was found seizuring and was immediately euthanatized. Microscopically, all 3 animals had a lymphocytic vasculitis typical of malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), with the most severe lesions in the brain. All 3 deer were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) positive for caprine herpesvirus 2 (CpHV-2) and were negative for ovine herpesvirus 2 (OHV-2). Two healthy goats that were housed adjacent to the deer were also PCR positive for CpHV-2 and PCR negative for OHV-2. The CpHV-2, PCR amplicons from the hinds, and the 2 healthy goats had an identical single base polymorphism. A male sika deer that was housed with the hinds and a fawn from 1 of the hinds remained asymptomatic and were PCR negative for CpHV-2. This represents the first report of mortality with MCF-like lesions in association with CpHV-2.

Malignant Catarrhal Fever in Free-Ranging Cervids Associated With Ovhv-2 and CPHV-2 Dna

“…Evidence of OvHV-2 infection in red deer by use of PCR has been reported earlier in two animals suffering from MCF in a zoo in Germany (Hä nichen et al, 1998). CpHV-2 has been identified as a pathogen for sika deer (Crawford et al, 2002;Keel et al, 2003) and white-tailed deer (Li et al, 2003b) in the USA. We detected CpHV-2 DNA in two moose and one roe deer that were negative for OvHV-2 DNA.…”

“…These results strongly indicate that CpHV-2 may be the cause of MCF in free-ranging moose and roe deer. Both a chronic form of MCF with weight loss, crusting dermatitis, and alopecia, and an acute form with seizures, have been described in CpHV-2-infected sika deer (Crawford et al, 2002;Keel et al, 2003). In white-tailed deer, CpHV-2 infection has been associated with a subacute condition, causing alopecia and weight loss (Li et al, 2003b).…”

“…and domestic sheep, respectively, and two further viruses identified in later years, caprine herpesvirus 2 (CpHV-2) endemic in domestic goats (Li et al, 2001a), and a virus of unknown origin causing MCF in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (MCFV-WTD) (Li et al, 2000;Kleiboeker et al, 2002). Alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 is known to cause the classic ''African'' form of MCF, and OvHV-2 causes the sheepassociated MCF that occurs worldwide in a range of ruminants (Plowright, 1990;Heuschele and Reid, 2001), whereas CpHV-2 has been found to cause disease in sika deer (Cervus nippon) (Crawford et al, 2002;Keel et al, 2003) and whitetailed deer (Li et al, 2003b).…”

Gammaherpesvirus Infection in Semidomesticated Reindeer (Rangifer Tarandus Tarandus): A Cross-Sectional, Serologic Study in Northern Norway

“…Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are healthy carriers of OvHV2 and transmit the virus to various wild and domestic ruminant species and to domestic pigs (Sus scrofa; Løken et al, 1998;Syrjälä et al, 2006). Caprine herpesvirus 2 (CpHV2) is a more recently discovered and apparently less-virulent virus, which is enzootic in domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus; Chmielewicz et al, 2001;Li et al, 2001a) and can cause MCF in moose (Alces alces) and various species of deer (Cervidae; Crawford et al, 2002;Keel et al, 2003;Li et al, 2003b;Vikoren et al, 2006). Many other MCF-associated viruses have been reported, for example in muskox (Ovibos moschatus; Li et al, 2003a).…”

Sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever: an emerging disease of bovids in India

“…Caprine herpesvirus 2 (CpHV-2) is enzootic in domestic goats [18,41] and can cause MCF disease in several ruminants, including sika deer (Cervus nippon T.), white-tailed deer (Odocolieus virginianus Z. ), moose (Alces alces L.) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) [19,37,44,84].…”