The discovery of the Asian longhorn tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in a flock of sheep in NJ in 2017 is a reminder to producers that foreign diseases and or foreign vectors of diseases can and have come to the United States in recent times. Livestock producers are the first line of defense in recognizing a foreign notifiable disease or vector. With the veterinary shortage unresolved, producers must rely on their own knowledge of signs of a disease not previously known to occur in the United States and be aware of current outbreaks in other countries of diseases not previously detected in North America.

The below table lists notifiable foreign diseases of cattle, and links to fact sheets providing further information.

In the News: Monkey pox is an example of an emerging notifiable disease of humans that does not affect livestock that is spreading around the world in 2022. An emerging pox outbreak in cattle in 2022 is lumpy skin disease, a capripoxvirus that causes a debilitating disease of particular concern in lactating European breeds of dairy cattle that have no naïve immunity like indigenous breeds in the countries where the disease has evolved.

Currently lumpy skin disease, a Capripoxvirus of cattle and water buffalo endemic to Africa has spread from the Middle East to south-east Europe, affecting EU Member States (Greece and Bulgaria) and several other countries in the Balkans in 2012. A major risk factor for the spread of livestock diseases and their vectors is the uncontrolled transboundary movement of live animals for trade, grazing or due to war and conflict. Since its first outbreak in 1928 in Africa, no direct transmission of LSD to humans has been reported. Since 2012, war, famine, and normal trade of livestock across borders is spreading the disease unchecked in the Middle East. In 2021, the World Organization for Animal Health reported that since 2015, “the disease has spread to most of the Balkan countries, the Caucasus and the Russian Federation, where the disease continues to spread, making the risk of an imminent incursion into other unaffected countries very high.” Lumpy skin disease was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in 2019 in north-west China, Bangladesh and India. During the northern summer of 2020, LSD has continued its spread across continental Asia with many members in South and South East Asia confirming outbreaks. As of May 2022, an estimated five million dairy farmers and meat sellers in Pakistan have had an outbreak in their cattle. India is now experiencing an unchecked outbreak of the disease in dairy cattle in many western states.

From the WOAH Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on lumpy skin disease (LSD)

What is lumpy skin disease (LSD)? Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), a virus from the family Poxviridae, genus Capripoxvirus. Sheeppox virus and goatpox virus are the two other virus species in this genus.

What domestic animals may be affected by LSD? LSDV is highly host specific and causes disease only in cattle (Bos indicus and B. taurus) and water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis). There is evidence from a study in Ethiopia of differential breed susceptibility to LSD, with Holstein Friesian or crossbred cattle exhibiting higher morbidity and mortality due to LSD when compared with local zebu cattle. LSDV is not zoonotic, so humans cannot get affected by the disease.

Are there any recent LSD cases in sheep and goat? There are no reports of LSD in sheep and goats or of their epidemiological involvement in the disease despite being kept in close proximity to cattle.

For more information read the entire fact sheet at https://www.woah.org/app/uploads/2022/06/faq-lsd-faired-v2-4forpublication.pdf

Signs a veterinarian looks for to detect a notifiable reportable disease in livestock

• Unexplained sudden onset of high morbidity and high mortality
• Severe abortion storms of unknown etiology
• Severe respiratory conditions
• Vesicular lesions (blistering skin not associated with sunburn)
• Pox or lumpy skin conditions
• Poor or no response to treatment when response is expected
• Atypical findings at necropsy
• History of foreign travel, foreign visitors, or receipt of foreign parcels (from a region where disease is present, accompanied by any of these symptoms)
• Recent importation of animals, embryos, or semen (accompanied by any of these symptoms)
• Undiagnosed encephalitic (CNS) conditions

For more information on foreign disease in livestock response, visit https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information