Incidence of lumpy skin disease among Egyptian cattle in Giza Governorate, Egypt

Abstract

The present study was conducted on 500 cattle of different breed in Giza governorate. Their age ranged from 1 -7 years of different sexes. All suspected animals were clinically examined. The recoded lesions including the complicated cases in different age and sexes were described. The infected animals were classified according to the severity of clinical status into mild and severe forms. The severe form was recorded in all ages and both sexes in the frezian cattle and some of the native ones while the mild form was recorded in native cattle. The morbidity, mortality and case fatality rates of LSD among examined Egyptian cattle were 100%, 1.8%, and 1.8% respectively. Grossly lumpy skin lesions appeared as nodules 1 to 7 cm in diameter and occurred anywhere on the animal body. The hair stands erected over early skin lesions. The nodules involved the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue and may even spread to the musculature. Histopathological examinations of lumpy skin disease revealed ballooning degeneration of stratum spinosum with microvesicles formation. Eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies specific for LSD were detected by electron microscopy. The main target of treatment trials was to save the animal life and to prevent LSD complications.