About

• Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is caused by infection of cattle or water buffalo with the poxvirus Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). The virus comes under the  genus capripoxvirus.
• It is transmitted by blood-feeding insects like mosquitoes, flies, lice, and wasps by direct contact, and also through contaminated food and water. The disease causes fever and nodules on the skin, and it can be fatal.
• LSD was first described in Zambia in 1929.
• It causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death, especially in animals that have not previously been exposed to the virus.
• Control options include vaccinations and culling of infected animals.
• Symptoms include skin nodules of about two to five centimetres, high fever, reduced milk production, loss of appetite, and watery eyes.
• Currently, the only vaccines available for the disease are vaccines for goat pox and sheep pox, which are related to the LSD virus.

Concerns

• The disease has raised concerns over its impact on the dairy business. India is the world’s largest milk producer at about 210 million tonnes annually.

Why in News:

• The lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus that has killed at least 50,000 cattle in India this year maybe structurally different from the version of the virus prevalent in India in 2019

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/lumpy-skin-disease-virus-different-from-2019-version/article65906807.ece