Vesicular Stomatitis (VS) Confirmed
in Eleven Utah Cattle

Tests conducted by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa, have confirmed the finding of vesicular stomatitis (VS) in eleven cattle located in Uinta County, in eastern Utah. The animals are located in four separate herds and have been isolated from other animals in the area.

The confirmation of the disease has prompted a mandatory quarantine of the infected locations by Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) State Veterinarian, Dr. Mike Marshall. All of the animals are alive and expected to recover.

VS is a livestock disease that primarily affects cattle, horses and swine. It occasionally affects sheep and goats. Humans can also become infected when handling affected animals.

Previously in Utah, VS was diagnosed in one horse in Garfield County, one horse in Davis County, and a cow in Monument Valley, San Juan County. Colorado recently announced their first case of Vesicular Stomatitis in 2005 in Delta, County. This is the first case of VS in cattle in Utah since the mid 1980’s.

All cases of vesicular disease are required to be reported to the State or Federal Veterinarian. The lesions of Vesicular Stomatitis in cattle are only distinguishable from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) by laboratory testing. FMD does not affect equines.

Many states have applied interstate movement restrictions of various types to livestock from states where the disease has been diagnosed. Care should be taken to comply with regulations in the state of destination regarding interstate movement of livestock from Utah.

It is essential that veterinarians and livestock owners be on the alert for animals displaying clinical signs characteristic of the disease such as lesions in the mouth and on the dental pad, tongue, lips, nostrils, hooves, and teats. These blisters leave raw tissue that is so painful that infected animals generally refuse to eat or drink and show signs of lameness. Severe weight loss usually follows, and in dairy cows, a severe drop in milk production commonly occurs.

While vesicular stomatitis can cause economic losses to livestock producers, it is a particularly significant disease because its outward signs are similar to those of foot-and-mouth disease, a foreign animal disease of cloven-hoofed animals that was eradicated from the United States in 1929.

Humans can contract vesicular stomatitis if proper biosafety methods are not followed. Prevalence of this disease in humans may be underreported because it may often go undetected or be misdiagnosed. In people, vesicular stomatitis causes an acute influenza-like illness with symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, headache, and malaise.

There is no specific treatment or cure for vesicular stomatitis. Owners can protect their animals from this disease by avoiding congregation of animals in the vicinity where vesicular stomatitis has occurred. Good sanitation and quarantine practices on affected farms usually contain the infection until it dies out of its own accord. Owners are encouraged to control biting insects such as black flies and other flying and/or biting insects.

For additional information on vesicular stomatitis please refer to the following APHIS Web page:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/ncahs/nsu/surveillance/vsv/vsv.htm