SYED MOHSIN NISAR

2018-VA-175

Medicine Clinic – 3

Topic: Blue Tongue Disease

Case:
A sheep was presented at CVAS clinic with fever of 107°F. There was high salivation and nasal
discharge. The face of the sheep was slightly swelled and nostrils were swollen too. On examination the
scapular lymph nodes were swollen. The respiration rate was higher than normal. On close examination there
was a bit cyanosis on the tongue and buccal mucosa.
Diagnosis: Blue Tongue Disease
Treatment:
Inj. Loxin 1.5 ml - IV
Inj Oxidil 1gm - IV
Inj Hepasel 3 ml – IV
Inj Selevit 3 ml – IV
Repeat procedure for 3 days. And animal should be kept secluded from other animals.
Provision of soft food, and Good husbandry.

Introduction:
Bluetongue is a noncontagious, infectious, viral disease primarily of domestic and wild ruminants.
It is caused by Bluetongue virus (BTV). The virus is transmitted by the midges Culicoides imicola, Culicoides
variipennis, and other culicoids.

Pathology:
Hosts typically become infected from the saliva of a biting midge. The virus spreads locally and
replicates in regional lymph nodes, leading to viremia and systemic spread of virus. It results in endothelial
damage, hemorrhage, vascular occlusion, tissue edema, and epithelial sloughing.

Transmission:
Vectors get affected with BTV by imbibing blood from infected animals. Vector-borne
transmission through Culicoides spp is the primary way that BTV is transmitted. Semen from viremic bulls can
serve as a source of infection for cows through natural service or artificial insemination. Embryo transfer is
regarded as safe, provided that donors are not viremic. Transplacental transmission of field strains of BTV is
reported in cattle; however, the epidemiological importance of this mechanism is unclear.
Bluetongue virus is not zoonotic.

Clinical Signs:
The course of bluetongue in sheep can vary from per-acute to chronic, with a mortality rate of
2%–90%.
Per-acute cases die within 7–9 days of infection, mostly as a result of severe pulmonary edema leading to
death by asphyxiation. In chronic cases, sheep may die 3–5 weeks after infection, mainly because of bacterial
complications. Animals with mild cases usually recover rapidly and completely.
The clinical signs are typical. After an incubation period of 4–6 days, Major signs are high fever, excessive
salivation, swelling of the face and tongue, and cyanosis of the tongue. Swelling of the lips and tongue gives the
tongue its typical blue appearance. Nasal signs may be prominent, with nasal discharge.
The congestion of nose and nasal cavities produces a “sore muzzle” effect, the term used to describe the
disease in sheep.
On close examination, small hemorrhages are visible on the mucous membranes of the nose and mouth.
Animals walk with difficulty as a result of inflammation of the hoof. A purple-red color is obvious as a band at
the junction of the skin and the hoof.
Susceptible cattle and sheep infected during pregnancy may abort or deliver malformed calves or lambs.
In many areas of the world, BTV infection in sheep, and especially in other ruminants, is subclinical.
Although clinical signs in cattle are rare.

Diagnosis:
Clinical evaluation
PCR

Treatment and Control of Bluetongue:

There is no specific treatment for animals with bluetongue apart from
rest, provision of soft food, and good husbandry. Complicating and secondary infections should be treated
appropriately during the recovery period.
Prophylactic immunization of sheep remains the most effective and practical control measure against
bluetongue in endemic regions. Attenuated and inactivated vaccines against BTV are commercially available in
some countries. Three polyvalent vaccines, each comprising five BTV serotypes, are widely used.
Control of vectors by the use of insecticides or protection from vectors may lower the number of Culicoides
bites and subsequently the risk of exposure to BTV infection.