Clinical and clinicopathologic observations in induced malignant catarrhal fever of cattle.
In an epizootic of malignant catarrhal fever in 1976/1977 in southern California, 166 cows (17%) died. Blood from one of those cows was used in transmission studies involving 8- to 14-month-old steers. In 17 (74%) of 23 inoculated steers, the disease was reproduced. The clinical signs in 8 of the diseased steers were characterized by an initially mild intestinal form of the disease, which suddenly fulminated and terminated in death within 1 to 3 days. No lesions or only mild oral or ocular lesions were noticed in this group, but in the other steers, such lesions predominated. It was concluded that a subtle form of the disease can terminate in acute fatal indigestion.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000662:veterinary; D006940:Hyperemia / Q000662:veterinary; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008304:Malignant Catarrh / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission