Clinically, it is characterized by fever and the formation of vesicles (blisters) in the mouth, nostrils, hooves and teats. Epistaxis (nose bleeds) may occur. Dairy cattle may show a drastic drop in milk production, with up to 80% of the herd affected. When the blister break, there is usually salivation and nasal discharge, and anorexia. In 3-4 days the animal recover, and there usually no secondary complications.
Transmission is usually by common contact, however flies may transmit the disease over long distances. The importance of this disease is it's resemblance to Foot and Mouth disease in the early stages, and quarantine is usual until the diagnosis is confirmed.
Surveillance: Special Issue - Exotic Diseases, Vol 23,
1996
MAF Regulatory Authority, Ministry of Agriculture
P.O. Box 2526, Wellington, New Zealand
Poultry Diseases, Fourth Edition
Jordon, F.T.W. and Pattison, M., Editors
W.B. Saunders Company Ltd., London, 1996 , ISBN 0-7020-1912-7
Notifiable Diseases: Special Issue of the State Veterinary Journal,
Vol. 5 No. 3, October 1995
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, United Kingdom ISSN:0269 5545
Exotic Diseases of Animals: A Field Guide for Australian
Veterinarians
Geering, W.A., Forman, A.J. and Nunn, M.J.
Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1995, ISBN 0 644 33513
0
Avian Disease Manual, Third Edition
Whiteman, C.E. and Bickford, A.A.
American Association of Avian Pathologists
Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company,Dubuque, Iowa, ISBN 0-8403-5795-8
The Merck Veterinary Manual, 6th Edition, Editor: Fraser,
C.M.
Merck & Co., Inc, Rahway, N.J., U.S.A., 1986, ISBN 911910-53-0
Veterinary Medicine - Eighth Edition
Radositis, O.M., Blood, D.C., and Gay, C.C.
Balliere Tindal, London, U.K., 1994, ISBN 0 7020 1592 X