RINDERPEST

also called steppe murrain, cattle plague, or contagious bovine typhus an acute, highly contagious viral disease of ruminant animals, primarily cattle, that is common in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. It has occurred in Brazil and Australia but was quickly eradicated in those countries. Rinderpest has not been reported in the United States. Rinderpest is the most severe infectious disease of cattle and is characterized by its sudden development and high mortality. Besides cattle, it can seriously affect water buffalo, giraffes, some types of antelopes and wild pigs, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants. Rinderpest is caused by a paramyxovirus (genus Morbillivirus) closely related to those that cause measles in humans and viral distemper in dogs. The virus is transmitted by close direct or indirect contact. After an incubation period of three to nine days, fever and loss of appetite occur in an infected animal. These symptoms are followed within a few more days by discharges from the eyes and nose, salivation, mouth ulcers, and a disagreeable, fetid odour. As the virus invades the internal organs, the animal exhibits laboured breathing, dehydration, diarrhea, often with abdominal pain, and eventually marked straining to evacuate. In many cases a skin eruption (streptothricosis) develops on the back and flanks. Prostration, coma, and death come about 6 to 12 days after the first symptoms appear. The actual cause of death is dehydration. Modern cell-cultured vaccines are effective in preventing rinderpest. The eradication of the disease in a particular area or region depends on control of the disease in wild animals and the elimination of infected domestic animals. Immunization by vaccine combined with quarantine is the most effective method of control.