Lumpy Skin Disease

Source : TheIndian Express

Context :

• Twelve states and Union Territories are battling the outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease(LSD), a serious viral infection in cattle.
• The first case was reported in Gujarat, over a million heads of cattle were infected and 46,943 have died, according the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying.

LSD Virus :

• LSD caused by the lumpy skin disease virus(LSDV), which is a virus of the capripox virus genus in the poxviridae family.
• Sheep pox virus, goat pox virus are the other members of the genus capripox virus.
• The LSDV mainly infects the cow & its progeny, Asian water buffalo.
• As per 2021 report of the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organisation(FAO), LSD outbreaks occur as epidemics several years apart.
• There is no known reservoir of the virus, it is also not known where & how the virus survives between epidemics.
• After being restricted for long to sub-Saharan Africa, the virus has spread to the middle East & Turkey.
• From 2015, it has infected cattle in southeastern & Eastern Europe, Russia.

Virus in India :

• LSD entered India, Bangladesh, China in 2019, since then more than 20 states have reported this disease.
• There were small outbreaks in Gujarat, which the state animal husbandry department controlled by treating the infected cattle & giving goat pox vaccine to healthy animals.
• The largest numbers of LSD infected & dead animals were in Rajasthan-7.33 lakh and more than 31k, were reported.
• The actual numbers of both infected and deaths could be much higher, many dairy farmers & cattle herders may not be reported.

Transmission & Symptoms :

• LSDV spreads through blood-sucking vectors like ticks, mites, mosquitoes, through contaminated water, fodder and feed.
• Mosquito & housefly infestations reach their peak during the monsoon& veterinary scientists & government officers blamed the season in July.
• Scientists have been advising that infected animals be isolated, the large number of stray cattle makes this task difficult making the disease to spread rapidly.
• LSDV attacks the circulatory system of an animal & causes vasculitis or inflammation of blood vessels & lesions in organs like liver, lungs, spleen, lymph nodes.
• The epidermis or outer surface of the skin, gets separated from the inner layer, leading to the formation of lumps or nodules on the animal’s body.
• Fever, increased mucus secretion and loss of appetite are among the other symptoms.
• Autopsies carried out on eight carcasses found that the virus had cause necrotising vasculitis or the death of tissues and fibrosis in various organs, leading to death.
• The nodules may burst due to outer pressure or friction as the skin covering them is very thin.
• The open wounds make the animals susceptible to secondary bacterial & protozoan infections.

Risk factors :

• As per 2019 livestock census, the bovine population of Gujarat is 2.60 crore including 1.49 crore cattle & 1.10 crore buffaloes.
• The indigenous breeds include Kankrej, Gir, Sahiwal etc and exotic breeds are Jersey, HF cows.
• Kankrej, known for being resistant diseases & parasites has been the worst hit.
• The infection has spread among Gir, which is an important breed.

Impact on economy :