article · Transboundary and Emerging Diseases
Lumpy skin disease represents a major infectious threat to dairy herds, caused by a Capripoxvirus. An epidemiological investigation evaluated an outbreak across five regions in Saudi Arabia between April and July 2016. Examination of 64,109 cattle recorded an overall morbidity rate of 6 percent, a mortality rate of 0.99 percent, and a case fatality rate of 16.6 percent, corresponding to 3,852 infections and 641 deaths. Infection numbers and impact varied regionally, with the highest infection counts in Al-Hassa and the highest morbidity and mortality rates recorded in Al-Qassim. Real-time polymerase chain reaction testing confirmed the virus in all 191 skin nodule samples examined. Because cattle contracted the disease regardless of prior immunisation with the local Romanian-pox vaccine, current vaccination programmes and field-level vaccine efficacy require formal re-evaluation.
Lumpy skin disease causes severe health complications and fatalities in livestock, threatening dairy production and agricultural livelihoods. Clarifying infection rates and validating real-time diagnostic testing helps veterinary authorities track and manage transmission. Crucially, evidence of outbreak spread among previously vaccinated herds indicates that existing immunisation protocols may be insufficient, emphasising the urgent need to assess and refine protective measures for commercial livestock.
The data highlights an immediate demand for veterinary vaccine developers and livestock health agencies to re-examine existing capripoxvirus immunisations. While real-time PCR diagnostic methods are applied and tested for outbreak detection, the failure of the local Romanian-pox vaccine to prevent infection points to early-stage to applied development needs: reformulating vaccines, validating field efficacy, or designing new protective biological products for the dairy industry.
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Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly infectious disease of cattle caused by a virus of the Capripoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae. The disease is a major concern for the dairy industry in Saudi Arabia. In this study, an outbreak of LSD in cattle herds was detected in Saudi Arabia in 2016. LSD outbreak was investigated in five regions of Saudi Arabia: Al-Hassa, Al-Sharqia, Al-Qassim, Riyadh and Al-Taif during the period from April to July 2016. Tissues from skin nodules were collected to characterize the virus by a real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR). During this period, 64,109 cattle were examined and morbidity, mortality and case fatality rates were 6%, 0.99% and 16.6%, respectively. The analysis showed 3,852 infected cases and 641 deaths. highest number of infected animals was reported in Al-Hassa (2,825), followed by Al-Qassim (547), Riyadh (471), Al-Sharqia (6) and Al-Taif (3). The highest morbidity rates were observed in Al-Qassim (6.8%), Al-Hassa (6.2%), Riyadh (5.5%) and Al-Taif (0.96%), while the lowest morbidity rates were recorded in Al-Sharqia (0.27%). The highest mortality rates were also observed in Al-Qassim (2.3%), followed by Al-Hassa (0.97%), Riyadh (0.19%) and lowest in Al-Sharqia and Taif (0%). LSD virus was detected in all samples (n = 191) by real-time PCR analysis. The disease has been observed in the cattle regardless of previous vaccination using the locally Romanian-pox vaccine; therefore, vaccination programme and vaccine efficacy should be assessed under field conditions.
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DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12769
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