title: Malignant catarrhal fever in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. A potential threat to pigs in mixed-species exhibits?
abstract: Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) represents a sporadic and often fatal disease in various ungulate species including rarely swine. A close contact between susceptible and reservoir species of ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2) is a requirement for virus transmission. As in ruminants, a rapid course of disease with lymphohistiocytic meningoencephalitis and necrotizing vasculitis in multiple organs is frequently seen in porcine MCF. This report describes a case of MCF in a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, which was kept in a zoological exhibit with direct contact to various ruminants. It represents the first description of porcine MCF with proven natural OvHV-2 infection in Germany. OvHV-2 should be considered as cause of fatalities among swine especially in mixed-species exhibits as present in many zoological gardens. Also farm pigs kept in free ranging husbandry systems with potential contact to sheep and other ruminant species may be at risk.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lapp
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Förster
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kummrow
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wohlsein
authors.affiliation: Dr. Verena Haist, Boehringer Ingelheim VRC GmbH & Co. KG, Bemeroder Straße 31, 30559 Hannover, Germany, E-Mail: verena.haist@boehringer-ingelheim.com.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Haist
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D005858:Germany; D008304:Malignant Catarrh / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission
keywords: Ovine herpesvirus-2; gammaherpesvirinae; mixed-species exhibit; porcine; ruminant disease; vasculitis; viral disease; zoo