BOVINE EPHEMERAL FEVER–THREE DAY SICKNESS
Vikram Jat 1, Nazeer Mohammed2, Pradeep Kumar3, R.K. Khinchi4, Vishnu Meena5 and D.S. Meena6
1,2,4,5,6 Department of Veterinary Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Veterinary Education
and Research (PGIVER), Jaipur, Rajasthan (302031), India
3 Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Post Graduate Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (PGIVER), Jaipur, Rajasthan (302031), India
Corresponding Author – Dr. Vikram Jat, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Post Graduate Institute of Veterinary Education and Research (PGIVER), Jaipur, Rajasthan (302031), India
Mail: jatvikram503@gmail.com
Abstract
Bovine ephemeral fever is a vector-born viral disease transmitted by arthropods, primarily affecting domestic cattle and water buffalo. The disease is caused by the bovine ephemeral fever virus, which belongs to the genus Ephemerovirus in the Rhabdoviridae family. It leads to significant economic losses due to a sudden decline in milk yield in dairy herds and reduced body condition in beef cattle. It causes high rise in temp. stiffness, lameness, muscular tremor and sometime death. Diagnosis is mostly performed by PCR assay. Treatment includes administration of NSAIDs, accompanied by supportive care to recumbent cows. The primary method for preventing and controlling the disease is through routine vaccination.
Synonyms: – Three-day sickness, Stiff sickness, vector-born.
Introduction
Bovine ephemeral fever (BEF), commonly referred to as three-day sickness or three-day fever, is a viral disease spread by arthropods that primarily affects cattle and water buffalo. Bovine Ephemeral Fever (BEFV) appears seasonally in tropical, subtropical and temperate areas across Africa, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. The disease causes significant economic losses due to decreased milk production, reduced body condition in beef cattle, as well as infertility and abortion.
BEF presents with symptoms such as loss of appetite, lethargy, eye and nasal discharge, excessive salivation, muscle stiffness, lameness, halted rumen activity, sternal recumbency and various other signs of inflammation (Walker, 2005). The disease typically has a sudden onset and short duration, usually resolving within 1 to 3 days. However, in some cases, animals may experience prolonged symptoms such as paralysis and ataxia following the acute stage of infection. While severe cases can lead to death often due to secondary issues like exposure, starvation, or pneumonia, the exact causes of mortality remain unclear. Although morbidity rates can be extremely high, nearing 100%, mortality rates are generally low (less than 1%) (Tonbak et al., 2013 and Zheng et al., 2011).
Treatment focuses on alleviating clinical symptoms through the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and administering calcium Boro gluconate in animals with hypocalcaemia. Vaccination remains the most effective method for controlling the disease. (Radostits et al., 2007).
Etiology
Bovine ephemeral fever virus (BEFV) is classified as a member of the genus Ephemerovirus in the family Rhabdoviridae (single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus). The virus is bullet or cone shaped. The virus has got similarity in chemical and physical properties with the vesicular stomatitis virus. The virus is related to dengue fever in man (Daniels et al.,1995).
ModeofTransmission
The research studies shows that the disease is transmitted by sand fly Ceratopogonidae family. Recently mosquitoes like culex, Culicoides andhave been suggested as a disease transmitter. Transmission does not occur by direct contact from animal to animal or via their discharge.
Outbreak of this disease is generally occurred in summer and in rainy season. The disease is not transmitted by the semen. Virus spread appears to be associated with winds and transportation of animals. Morbidity rates may be as high as 80% and overall mortality rate is usually 1%–2%.
ClinicalFindings
The incubation period of disease is 2 to 10 days, may drop in morning. There is shivering and muscle trembling. Affected cattle reluctant to move and if forced to move, they move with great difficulty with arched backed conditions.
Anorexia, reduction in milk yield, salivation, nasal discharge and lachrymation. Muscles of the affected limb become stiff, hard and painful. The animal show lameness, laminitis, may suspended rumination and grinding of teeth. Some animal may adopt a posture similar to milk fever. Prolonged recumbency terminate to motor paralysis or aspiratory pneumonia due to regurgitation of ruminal fluid. Tachypnoea or dyspnoea atony of fore stomachs listlessness. biphasic to polyphasic fever (40°–42°C [104°–107.6°F])
Diagnosis
Under field conditions, diagnosis is primarily based on epidemiological information, clinical symptoms and characteristic lesions of the disease. Bovine ephemeral fever is usually suspected in endemic regions or during periods when arthropod vectors are highly activetypically in hot, wet seasons and in environments such as low-lying, swampy, flooded, or delta areas (Bakhshesh and Abdollahi, 2015).
Laboratory diagnosis involves both direct and indirect testing of blood samples to detect the virus or specific antibodies, particularly during the febrile (hyperthermic) phase of the disease. (Akakpo, 2015).
A blood smear prepared on a slide can be used for histological analysis, including immunofluorescence testing and blood cell counting. The virus can be isolated either through intracerebral inoculation in newborn mice or by culturing blood leukocytes using cell lines such as BHK-21 or Vero. (Akakpo, 2015). Conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a method that can be employed to detect the viral genome (Zheng et al., 2011).
Treatment
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help prevent the development of clinical symptoms if administered daily during the incubation phase. When used after clinical signs have emerged, they can also lead to a quick recovery. Signs of hypocalcaemiasuch as ruminal stasis, muscle weakness (paresis) and loss of reflexescan be managed through subcutaneous or intravenous administration of calcium Boro gluconate. Animals recovering from the disease should be allowed several days of rest without stress or physical exertion to ensure their biochemical balance has fully stabilized (Walker and Klement, 2015).
Prevention and Control
To control the disease, movement of animals from infected regions is restricted; however, vaccination remains the sole effective method for prevention and control. So far, four types of BEF vaccines have been developed: inactivated vaccines, live-attenuated vaccines, recombinant vaccines and subunit vaccines based on the G protein. (Ashraf et al., 2023). In most cases, the immunity provided by these vaccines appears to be short-lived, potentially requiring booster shots every six months to a year to maintain effectiveness (Walker and Klement, 2015).
Conclusion
Bovine Ephemeral Fever is an economically significant, vector-borne viral disease primarily affecting cattle and buffalo, characterized by sudden onset, high morbidity and low mortality. Effective diagnosis relies on clinical signs and laboratory tests like RT-PCR. Treatment focuses on supportive care using NSAIDs and calcium therapy. While vector control and movement restrictions help limit outbreaks, vaccination remains the most reliable method for prevention. Continued research is essential to improve vaccine efficacy and develop longer-lasting immunity.
Citation
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Zheng, F., Lin, G., Zhou, J., Wang, G., Cao, X., Gong, X., & Qiu, C. (2011). A reverse-transcription, loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detection of bovine ephemeral fever virus in the blood of infected cattle. Journal of virological methods, 171(1), 306-309.
