An outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease in a Holstein dairy herd in Oman: A clinical report

Abstract

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is an acute infectious disease of cattle with significant economic importance and endemic in Middle East and Africa. LSD re emerge once again in this decade as an important threat to livestock health and dairy industry in Middle East by repeated out breaks. This clinical report aimed to register one such LSD outbreak that occurred in 2009 in Oman in a farm population of 3200 Holstein animals. This manuscript will be the first one to report LSD occurrence in a multiple thousand Holstein cattle population, till date no LSD outbreaks were reported with such a high numbered population either in the region or around the world where farm as an epidemiological unit. In contrast to the field outbreaks, this farm LSD incidence had a high mortality of the adult herd (12%). Herd milk production dropped by 40-65% and production loss continued for few months. Control measures against LSD like eradication of both affected population and contact population, control of vectors were not feasible with this herd outbreak. Vaccination was conducted in the wake of outbreak and yielded poorer results. Treatment outcome of the affected animals was poor and recovery was typically complicated by higher ambient temperature. Source of vector to this catastrophic episode remains inconclusive. In conclusion, manuscript emphasizes the need for further epidemiological and entomological studies at a national level in Oman. © 2011 Academic Journals Inc.