Lumpy Skin Disease: Testing for Dairy Farmers

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) causes fever and firm nodules in the skin of cattle, and it is notifiable. A vet can take a nodule, a scab or a blood sample for RT-PCR, and antibody tests and a blood count add to the picture. Cattle are the animals most often affected, and buffaloes are affected less often.

What are the signs of LSD?

The first sign is usually a fever, followed in a few days by round, firm lumps in the skin, from the size of a coin to much larger. They can appear on the head, neck, back, legs, udder and genitals. Other signs include swollen glands, swollen legs and brisket, a runny nose and eyes, a sharp fall in milk, and loss of appetite. Sores in the mouth and throat can make eating painful. Some animals have only a few lumps and others hundreds.

How does it spread?

The virus spreads mainly through biting insects such as flies, mosquitoes and ticks, which carry it from one animal to another. Animals can also be infected through shared feed and water, and the virus is found in the lumps, the saliva and the milk. Outbreaks often follow wet, warm weather when insects are many, and movement of animals between farms can carry the disease across a district.

Is it notifiable?

Yes. Owners should tell their veterinarian or the animal husbandry department about any animal they suspect. The lab cannot promise to control an outbreak, and the authorities make decisions about movement and control.

What looks like LSD but is not?

Several things can be mistaken for it: insect bites and stings, ringworm, other skin infections, a milder illness called pseudo lumpy skin disease and allergic swellings. Only a vet's examination and tests can tell them apart, so do not guess.

Which samples and tests help?

A veterinarian takes the samples, wearing gloves, and phones the lab first. Useful samples are a piece of a nodule or a scab, a swab from a fresh lesion and blood.

• The Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) RT-PCR is an RT-PCR (real-time PCR) test that looks for the genetic material of the virus, so it can confirm the cause, even early in the illness.
• The Lumpy Skin Disease Antibody ELISA looks for antibodies, which show that an animal has met the virus or has responded to vaccination. It cannot say whether the infection is recent.
• The Complete Blood Count (CBC) shows changes in the blood cells, such as signs of infection or inflammation. It cannot name the disease.

A negative RT-PCR does not always rule LSD out, for instance if the sample was poor or taken at the wrong stage. A registered veterinarian reads all results with the animal's signs and the situation on the farm.

What can the farm do?

Keep sick animals apart, protect them from flies and mosquitoes as your vet advises, and do not move or sell animals. Wash your hands after handling them. Ask your vet about vaccination. The Cattle Viral RT-PCR Panel groups RT-PCR tests for LSD with four other cattle viruses when a vet wants to separate diseases with overlapping signs. The lab gives no treatment advice and no vaccination schedules. Note which animals have lumps, how many, and the date each animal first had a fever, because the order in which animals fall ill can show how the disease is moving through the herd. Take clear photographs of the lumps, and do not squeeze or cut them yourself. Tell your vet if neighbouring farms have sick animals, because that can change the plan for your own.

Label every sample with the animal's number, the date and the vet's name, and keep it cool, not frozen. Pack it so it cannot leak, and send it by courier, bus parcel or through your vet after phoning the lab.

Read next

For another herd health topic that follows the seasons, read Fecal Worm Egg Count for Cattle and Buffalo: When and Why. For a disease with a very different pattern, see Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD): Signs and Lab Confirmation.

Testing in Bhopal

The lab at C-200, C Sector, Shahpura, Bhopal confirms the method, sample needs and reporting time when you book. Call or WhatsApp +91 88175 01118 before sending any sample. Collection is free anywhere in Bhopal, and other districts can send samples through their vet, by courier or by bus parcel.