Bovine Papular Stomatitis

Abstract

Bovine papular stomatitis (BPS) is a mild disease affecting primarily the oral mucosa of cattle. The disease is caused by a virus belonging to the poxvirus group. Cattle are the natural host and man acquires the infection by handling infected cattle. Calves probably become infected early in life and some remain as carriers. The disease is worldwide in distribution. Although primary infections of BPS are of minor economic significance, they are of considerable importance in the differential diagnosis of all diseases affecting the oral cavity of cattle. The lesions range from hyperplasia to erosions and ulcerations. Lesions of different stages of development and regression are found in the same animal. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies are a characteristic feature of the histopathology. In the uncomplicated disease, the lesion regresses without treatment. Recrudescence occurs when the animal is stressed. Virus isolation, electronmicroscopy and histopathology are helpful laboratory procedures in obtaining a diagnosis.