~ 1891 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(1): 1891-1895 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(1): 1891-1895 Received: 01-11-2018 Accepted: 05-12-2018 Priya Meravi Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India Amita Tiwari Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India PC Shukla Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India RPS Baghel Dean, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India Brejesh Singh Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India Anjali Singh Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India Correspondence Amita Tiwari Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India Emerging threats of sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever in India: A Review Priya Meravi, Amita Tiwari, PC Shukla, RPS Baghel, Brejesh Singh and Anjali Singh Abstract Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a fatal lymph proliferative disease of cattle and other ungulates caused by the ruminant gamma-herpes virus, Alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (AIHV-1) and Ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2). AIHV-1 naturally infects wildebeest and causes wildebeest associated malignant catarrhal fever and OvHV-2 infects all varieties of domestic sheep as a subclinical infection and causes sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever. Sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever (SA- MCF) is a form, neurological form and cutaneous form. Typical signs of the disease are corneal opacity, mucopurulent nasal discharge, erosions on tips of buccal papillae etc. Diagnosis of SA-MCF poses significant challenges to veterinarians due to multi-systemic involvement of the disease and symptomatic resemblance to many other diseases in field. The clinical differential diagnosis of MCF should include BVD, FMD, rinderpest, blue tongue, IBR. Virus can be detected by PCR and serological tests as ELISA, CFT and Competitive inhibition enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Many therapeutic attempts have been described, including the use of corticosteroids, antibiotics, antivirals, vitamins and other supportive treatments. Medical treatment of cattle comprised one or more of following: procaine penicillin, ceftiofur sodium, oxytetracycline, sulfadimethoxine etc. The recent availability of derivatives of acyclovir compounds that inhibit replication of herpesviruses shows promise in potential treatment regimens. With spread to a large part of the world, SA-MCF has become one of the emerging diseases of ruminants. The prevention of contact between carriers and clinically susceptible species remains the primary method of disease control. Keywords: Malignant catarrhal fever, meningoencephalitis, ovine herpesvirus-2 Introduction Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is a fatal lymph proliferative disease of cattle and other ungulates caused by the ruminant Gamma-herpes viruses, Alcelaphine herpesvirus- 1 (AlHV- 1) and Ovine herpesvirus- 2 (OvHV-2) [1] . Globally two endemic forms of MCF with distinct geographical distribution exist. Alcelaphine herpesvirus- 1 (AlHV-1) naturally infects wildebeest and causes wildebeest associated MCF (WA-MCF) in cattle in regions of African sub-continent. The Ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2) infects all varieties of domestic sheep as a sub-clinical infection and causes sheep associated MCF in susceptible ruminants in most regions of the world. These viruses cause inapparent infection in their reservoir hosts (wildebeest for AlHV-1 and sheep and goat for OvHV-2) but fatal lymph proliferative disease when they infect MCF-susceptible hosts (Bison for AIHV-1 and cattle, water buffalo, bateng, antelopes and pigs for OvHV-2) [2] . Sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever is an emerging and an important disease of cattle and it is particularly significant in the Indian context where mixed farming is common practice. In India, there is mixed livestock farming system of cattle with sheep and goats which leads to increased chances of close contact of carrier animals with clinically susceptible animals. In India, the detection of cases of SA-MCF in cattle and OvHV-2 infection in sheep during the last decade has established the presence of the virus in native sheep of the country [3] . This disease is on the list of notifiable disease to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). Due to recent clinical cases of sheep associated malignant catarrhal fever in cattle in India and subsequent detection of OvHV-2 in these animals, this virus has caught attention in India also. Etiology The disease is caused by Ovine herpes virus-2 (OvHV-2) which is enzootic worldwide in domestic sheep and transmitted to a wide variety of domestic and wild ruminants, including pigs [3] . This virus is belonging to family- Herpesviridae, subfamily – Gammaherpesvirinae and genus-Macavirus.