Thrombocytopenia Associated With Acute Bovine Virus Diarrhea Infection in Cattle

Abstract

Thrombocytopenia was observed in 15 of 146 cases of clinically acute bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) infection in adult cattle. Platelet counts ranged from 2,000 to 33,000/~1. Clinically, a bleeding tendency was manifested by bloody diarrhea, petechial and ecchymotic hemorrhage, epistaxis, and abnormal bleeding from injection sites. Coagulation testing (six cases) gave no evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. Bone marrow aspirates were suggestive of active marrow necrosis (two cases) or recent repopulation (three cases). Treatment, when given, was supportive and empirical in nature. Six animals experienced complete clinical recoveries; the others died or were euthanatized. Although the pathogenesis of the thrombocytopenia was not definitively determined, thrombocytopenia associated with acute BVDV infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis for cattle with bleeding disorders. (Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 1989; 3:42-46)

Clinical response and immunomodulation following experimental challenge of calves with type 2 noncytopathogenic bovine viral diarrhea virus

“…at day 12 PE). Nevertheless hemorrhage, which has previously been associated with acute BVDV type 2 infections [8,24], was not a predominant pathological feature in our study as well as in the study reported by others using the same BVDV isolate [11]. Moreover, gross and histological lesions in the alimentary tract, as observed especially in animals more than 6 months of age during the outbreaks of BVDV infection in Ontario in 1993 [7], and from where the 24515 BVDV isolate was isolated, were not a predominant finding in our 4 to 4.5 month-old calves, as previously noted for calves less than 6 months of age [7].…”

“…Serious clinical conditions characterized by thrombocytopenia and hemorrhages have been observed in calves infected with BVDV isolates in the late 1980's [8,24]. More recently, severe acute outbreaks of BVDV-associated disease in young and adult cattle have been documented in Northeastern United States [21] and in the provinces of Québec [13,22] and Ontario [7] in Canada.…”

Genetic characterization of bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) viruses: confirmation of the presence of BVD genotype 2 in Africa

“…Subsequent to these initial reports, descriptions that followed pointed to acute uncomplicated BVDV as a mild or sub-clinical disease of short duration with negligible mortality in all ages of cattle [1-2, 9, 10]. During the past two decades clinically severe disease outbreaks associated with acute BVDV infection have been reported in the US, Britain, Canada and Germany [11,12,18,24].…”

Clinical, pathological and antigenic aspects of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) type 2 isolates identified in Brazil

“…In addition, severe thrombocytopenia and hemorrhagic disease have been described in some herd epidemics (Corapi et al, 1989;Rebhun et al, 1989;Carman et al, 1998). Preliminary studies demonstrated that the isolates associated with these outbreaks were genetically and antigenically distinct from the classical BVDV strains.…”