Electron Microscopic Characterization of a Bovine Herpes Virus from Minnesota

A skin disease of unknown aetiology appeared in a herd of 17 dairy cattle in northern Minnesota during late summer of 1970. The disease was characterized by small elevated nodules on all parts of the body with two animals showing teat lesions. The possibility of lumpy skin disease, a disease of cattle exotic to the United States, was considered.

Samples of excised nodules and whole blood were sent to Plum Island for investigation. Tissue cultures inoculated with these samples were passaged several times until cytopathic effects were seen. The results of the early tissue culture experiments were used to establish a preliminary diagnosis (Yedloutschnig et al. 1970). Electron microscopy of thin sections of such infected cells revealed a herpes virus. The present report describes the identification of this virus and compares it with other previously known bovine herpes viruses: bovine herpes mammillitis (BHM) (Martin et al. 1966; Pepper et al. 1966; Rweyemamu, Johnson & Tutt, 1966); Allerton (Polson &p, Kipps, 1967).