Bovine herpesvirus 2

Bovine herpesvirus 2 (BoHV-2) is a virus of the family Herpesviridae that causes two diseases in cattle, bovine mammillitis and pseudo-lumpyskin disease. BoHV-2 is similar in structure to human herpes simplex virus. The strain of BoHV-2 that causes pseudo-lumpyskin disease is also known as the Allerton virus.^[1]

Pseudo-lumpyskin disease is found most commonly in southern Africa. It was originally discovered in South Africa where a similar but more serious disease caused by a poxvirus, lumpyskin disease, is also prevalent. Symptoms include fever and skin nodules on the face, back, and perineum. The disease heals within a few weeks. Bovine mammillitis is characterized by lesions restricted to the teats and udder. BoHV-2 probably spreads through an arthropod vector,^[2] but can also be spread through milkers and milking machines.^[1]

A review publication from 2011 presents a series of controversial conclusions concerning the pathogenesis and epidemiology of the infection (summary: https://sites.google.com/site/bovineherpesvirus2/), among these that spread among cattle is mainly by the respiratory route, and that skin lesions result from complement activation by the classical pathway after formation of early antibody to BoHV-2. ^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Carter, G.R.; Flores, E.F.; Wise, D.J. (2006). "Herpesviridae". A Concise Review of Veterinary Virology. http://www.ivis.org/advances/Carter/Part2Chap11/chapter.asp?LA=1. Retrieved 2006-06-04. 
2. ^ Fenner, Frank J.; Gibbs, E. Paul J.; Murphy, Frederick A.; Rott, Rudolph; Studdert, Michael J.; White, David O. (1993). Veterinary Virology (2nd ed.). Academic Press, Inc. ISBN 0-12-253056-X. 
3. ^ Bitsch, Viggo (2011). Epidemiology and pathogenesis of the Bovine herpesvirus 2 (BoHV-2) infection. ISBN 978-87-994685-0-8 (http://bovine-herpesvirus-2.blogspot.com/)