title: Clinical, hematological and biochemical parameters of dairy cows experimentally infected with Vaccinia virus.
abstract: Vaccinia virus (VACV) is the etiological agent of bovine vaccinia (BV), an important zoonosis that affects dairy cattle. There are many aspects of the disease that remain unknown, and aiming to answer some of these questions, the clinical, hematological, and biochemical parameters of VACV experimentally infected cows were evaluated. In the first part of the study, lactating cows were infected with VACV-GP2 strain. In the second part, animals previously infected with VACV-GP2 were divided into two treatment groups: Group 1, immunosuppressed cows; and Group 2, re-infected cows. In this study, BV could be experimentally reproduced, with similar lesions as observed in natural infections. Moreover, a short incubation period and local lymphadenopathy were also observed. VACV could be detected by PCR and isolated from scabs taken from teat lesions of all inoculated and re-inoculated animals. Lymphocytosis and neutrophilia were observed in all animals from the first part of the experiment, and lymphopenia and relative neutrophilia were observed in the immunosuppressed animals. Detection of viral DNA in oral mucosa lesions suggests that viral reactivation might occur in immunosuppressed animals. Moreover, clinical disease with teat lesions may occur in previously VACV-infected cows under the experimental conditions of the present study.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Pesquisa em Virologia Animal, Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva, Escola de Veterinária, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Avenida Antônio Carlos, 6627, CEP: 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Izabelle S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Rehfeld
authors.forename: Maria Isabel M C
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Guedes
authors.forename: Ana Carolina D
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.forename: Tércia M L
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.forename: Anselmo V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Rivetti
authors.forename: Ana Carolina J
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: Paulo Ricardo O
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Paes
authors.forename: Luiz Alberto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: do Lago
authors.forename: Erna G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kroon
authors.forename: Zélia Inês P
authors.initials: ZI
authors.lastname: Lobato
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D002417:Cattle; D003612:Dairying; D005260:Female; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008414:Mastitis, Bovine / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008892:Milk / Q000166:cytology; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D017193:Skin Diseases, Viral / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014615:Vaccinia / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral
keywords: Bovine vaccinia; Clinical course; Experimental infection; Hematological and biochemical parameters; Immunosuppression; Reinfection; Vaccinia virus