Viral Diseases Effecting Meat Quality

Meat Inspection and Necropsy Practice (Path-506)

Lecture 6

Dr. Muhammad Kashif Saleemi

DVM PhD
Associate Professor

Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Science,

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Vesicular Stomatitis (VS)
◼ This is a viral disease of ruminants, horses and swine
characterized by vesicular lesions of the mouth, feet and
teats.
◼ VS virus has two immunologically distinct serotypes, Indiana
and New Jersey.
◼ Transmission : In susceptible animals, contamination of pre-
existing abrasions with saliva or lesion material, by ingestion
of contaminated pasture or during milking within dairy herds.
◼ Mechanical transmission by biting arthropods is also a
possibility. The virus is isolated from mites, tropical sand flies
and mosquitos.
Antemortem findings
◼ 1. Fever
◼ 2. Mouth lesions in cattle and horses
◼ 3. Vesicles tend to disappear quickly and only papules may be
seen in cattle outbreaks.
◼ 4. Marked weight loss and cessation of lactation in dairy cows.
◼ 5. Chewing movements and profuse salivation
◼ 6. Refuse food but eagerly accept water
◼ 7. Horses rub lips on edges of mangers
◼ 8. Foot lesions occur in about 50 % cases in cattle.
◼ 9. Lameness
◼ 10. Teat lesion may occur in all species.
Postmortem findings
◼ 1. The skin and mucous membrane lesions resemble the
lesions of other vesicular diseases.
◼ 2. Secondary bacterial or fungal infections
◼ 3. Mastitis
◼ Judgement : The carcass of an animal affected with vesicular
stomatitis is approved if the disease is not in the acute stage and
secondary changes are not present.
◼ Parts of the affected carcass and organs are condemned.
◼ A carcass showing acute changes and systemic lesions is
condemned.
◼ If VS is not confirmed by laboratory examination, the judgement
will be the same as for the FMD.
Postmortem findings
◼ Differential diagnosis : Foot and mouth disease, swine
vesicular exanthema, vesicular disease,
◼ The mouth and muzzle lesions: Bovine viral diarrhoea,
rinderpest, mycotic stomatitis, photosensitization
◼ Teat lesions: Cowpox, pseudo-cowpox, pseudo-lumpy skin
disease
Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF)
◼ An acute viral disease of cattle, deer and buffalo characterized by
inflammation of mucous membranes of the nose, eyes, corneal
opacity, profuse nasal discharge and enlargement of lymph
nodes.
◼ MCF is arbitrarily divided into peracute, intestinal, head-eye and
mild forms according to antemortem findings.
◼ It is not communicable to man.
◼ Transmission: Close contact between cattle and wild beest by
common use of drinking troughs or by direct contact between
cattle and newborn wildebeest and placenta of parturient dams.
◼ In American or European MCF, cattle are infected from sheep.
Antemortem findings
◼ 1. Incubation: 9 – 44 days
◼ 2. Morbidity is low and mortality is high
◼ 3. Increased body temperature
◼ 4. Bilateral ocular and nasal discharges
◼ 5. Dyspnea and cyanosis
◼ 6. Loss of appetite
◼ 7. Encrustation of muzzle, udder and scrotum
◼ 8. Erosions on the lips, tongue, gums, soft and hard palate
◼ 9. Swollen reddened eyelids, corneal opacity and conjunctivitis
◼ 10. Photophobia associated with corneal opacity and blindness
◼ 11. Reluctance to swallow (oesophageal erosions and drooling)
◼ 12. Enlarged body lymph nodes
Postmortem findings
◼ 1. Lesions are not present in acute cases
◼ 2. Crater like erosions of the nose, mouth, conjunctiva,
esophagus and gastrointestinal tract
◼ 3. Lungs may be congested, swollen or emphysematous
◼ 4. White areas in the kidneys
◼ 5. Swollen and reddened abomasal folds
◼ 6. Intestinal edema and petechial haemorrhages
◼ 7. “Tiger striping” in the distal colon
◼ 8. Enlarged and reddened lymph nodes
◼ 9. Dehydrated and emaciated carcass
◼ Judgement :In the early stages of the disease, when fever,
emaciation and systemic signs are lacking, the carcass of the
affected animal may be approved as inferior meat.
◼ Otherwise, when fever, emaciation and systemic signs are
present, the entire carcass and viscera are condemned.
◼ The condemned material may be used for rendering.
◼ Differential diagnosis : Bluetongue, rinderpest, bovine viral
diarrhoea/mucosal disease, foot and mouth disease,
vesicular stomatitis
Lumpy skin disease
◼ Acute pox viral disease of cattle manifested with sudden
appearance of nodules on the skin.
◼ Transmission : Insect vectors by direct and indirect transmission.
Seasonal and geographic distribution.
Antemortem findings :
◼ 1. Incubation: 4 – 14 days
◼ 2. Fluctuating fever
◼ 3. Diarrhoea
◼ 4. Nasal discharge and salivation
◼ 5. The first lesion appear in the perineum
◼ 6. Various sized cutaneous nodules may occur throughout the
body
◼ 7. Skin lesions may show scab formation
◼ 8. Swelling of superficial lymph nodes and limbs, and lameness
◼ 9. Infertility and abortion
◼ 10. Secondary infection may lead to joint and tendon
inflammation
Postmortem findings
◼ 1. Ulcerative lesions in the mucosa of the respiratory and
digestive tract
◼ 2. Reddish, haemorrhagic to whitish lesions in the lungs
◼ 3. Edema (interlobular) and nodules in the lungs.
◼ 4. Heart lesion (endocardium)
◼ 5. Thrombosis of skin vessels followed by cutaneous infarction
and sloughing.
Lumpy skin disease. Various sized cutaneous nodules
in a severe case of lumpy skin disease.
Cut surface of the nodules in the parenchyma of
the lung and interlobular edema.
Q fever
◼ Q fever (Queensland fever, Nine mile fever, American Q fever,
Australian Q fever)
◼ Q fever is a disease of cattle, sheep, goats, donkeys, camels,
fowl, dogs, cats, pigeons and humans.
◼ It is caused by Coxiella burnetii.
◼ Q fever is an occupational disease of livestock personnel.
farmers and laboratory personnel.
◼ Transmission : Ticks spread infection to cattle which develop
mild disease.
◼ The feces deposited on animal hide by ticks may be the source
of infection for humans.
◼ Q fever is also transmitted by inhalation or dust contaminated
with infected animal secreta or excreta.
◼ Healthy animals may serve as a carrier and shed the
organism in milk, urine, feces, placenta and fetal fluids.
◼ They harbour the infection and no clinical signs are
observed.
◼ Discussions : Coxiella burnetii is highly resistant and was
isolated from farm soil 6 months after the removal of animals.
◼ It may persist in the udder up to 3 years.
◼ The temperatures of milk pasteurisation (in bulk at 63°C for
30 minutes or the common method at 72°C for 15 seconds)
kill this agent in milk.
◼ Vaccination will reduce shedding of organisms in milk.
◼ This disease in humans has a sudden onset and is
characterized by loss of appetite, weakness and generalized
malaise lasting from 1 – 2 weeks.
◼ Pneumonia may also be present.
◼ Death may be caused by endocarditis in older people. More
severe symptoms of Q fever are noticed.
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
◼ This is an acute, subacute or chronic highly infectious disease
of cattle caused by Mycoplasma mycoides var, mycoides.
◼ Transmission : Aerosol and droplet infection from the infected
animals. The recovered animal act as carriers and shedders
◼ Antemortem findings :
◼ 1. Incubation: acute 10 – 14 days, chronic 3 – 6 months
◼ 2. Morbidity: 90 % in susceptible cattle
◼ 3. Mortality: 10 – 50 %
◼ 4. Fever
◼ 5. Depression
◼ 6. Lack of appetite and loss of weight
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
◼ 7. Coughing on exercise
◼ 8. Shallow rapid respiration, grunting and gurgling
◼ 9. Extended neck, lowered head and open mouth
◼ 10. Arched back and outward rotated elbow
◼ 11. Arthritis in young animals
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
Postmortem findings :
◼ 1. Fibrinous inflammation of the pleura (pleuritis)
◼ 2. Straw coloured fluid in the thorax
◼ 3. Lobar pneumonia with red hepatization, marbled
appearance of lung lobules due to thickening of interlobular
septae and interlobular pulmonary edema
◼ 4. Enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes
◼ 5. Haemorrhage in the heart
◼ 6. Arthritis and tenosynovitis
Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia
◼ Judgement : Carcass of an animal affected with contagious
bovine pleuropneumonia is condemned if the disease is
associated with fever, inadequate bleeding of carcass,
serous infiltration of the brisket and emaciation.
◼ Recovered animals showing no generalized signs of the
disease are approved and the affected organs are
condemned.
◼ Differential diagnosis : Shipping fever (Pasteurellosis). East
coast fever, foreign body pneumonia, IBR, tuberculosis,
chlamidial infections and lungworms
Rift valley fever (RVF)
◼ RVF is an acute viral disease of sheep, cattle, goats and
humans.
◼ It is manifested with hepatitis and high mortality in young lambs
and calves, and abortion in adult animals.
◼ Rift valley fever resembles influenza in humans.
◼ The disease is of significant importance in Africa.
◼ Transmission : Biting insects and mosquitoes. Possible direct
contact via cornea.
◼ Human infection occur by handling diseased tissues, and strict
precautions should be instituted to prevent infection with this
virus, such as wearing goggles and gloves.
RVF: Antemortem findings
Sheep
◼ 1. Incubation 12 – 48 hours in young animals
◼ 2. High morbidity and mortality in lambs and calves
◼ 3. Fever
◼ 4. Lambs refuse to eat, have abdominal pain and are
recumbent.
◼ 5. Animals seek a shaded area because of photophobia
(squinting and blinking)
◼ 6. Photosensitization characterized with a thickened head
and ears.
◼ 7. Encrustation around the muzzle
◼ 8. Vomiting in adult animals
RVF: Antemortem findings----------------
◼ Congenital malformation of the brain and muscles
◼ 10. Abortion in ewes during the illness or convalescence
Cattle
◼ 1. Edematous unpigmented skin showing cracking and
sloughing due to photosensitization
◼ 2. Salivation and inflammation in the mouth
◼ 3. Abdominal pain
◼ 4. Diarrhoea associated with hemorrhagic inflammation of
stomachs and intestine
◼ 5. Lameness
◼ 6. Cessation of milk production
◼ 7. Abortion
RVF: Postmortem findings
◼ 1. Cyanotic visible mucosae
◼ 2. Necrosis of the liver in lambs (liver may be mottled grey,
or reddish-brown to bright yellow in colour)
◼ 3. Edematous and haemorrhagic gall bladder
◼ 4. Haemorrhages of the gastrointestinal tract, serosae,
internal organs and lymph nodes
◼ 5. Partial erosions may be seen in the ileum, caecum and
colon
◼ 6. Udder is purple but inflammation is not observed
◼ 7. Hemorrhages in the fetus and haemothorax
RVF: Judgement and D.Diagnosis
◼ Judgement : Carcass of an animal showing clinical signs of
Rift Valley fever is condemned.
◼ Reactors and recovered animals are approved.
◼ Affected parts of the carcass, liver and the blood must be
condemned.
◼ Differential diagnosis : Defect in porphyrin metabolism,
fungal conditions, acute viremias/toxaemias including
enterotoxaemia, bluetongue, bovine ephemeral fever,
Wesselbron disease, rinderpest, heartwater, East Coast
fever; abortions caused by Brucella, Vibrio, Trichomonas,
Nairobi sheep disease and ovine enzootic abortion