Vesicular Stomatitis Virus

Vesicular stomatitis (VS; also known as vesicular stomatitis virus disease, vesicular stomatitis fever, and Indiana fever) is an arthropod-borne, zoonotic vesicular disease caused by vesicular stomatitis viruses (VSV) in the genus Vesiculovirus, family Rhabdoviridae. Clinically, VS is characterized by the formation of vesicles, erosions, and ulcers on the tongue, oral tissues, feet, and teats, along with pain, anorexia, and secondary mastitis, leading to substantial loss of productivity in all affected species (primarily horses and cattle and occasionally swine, sheep, goats, llamas, and alpacas) and death in swine. With the exception of its appearance in horses, VS resembles other vesicular diseases in animals, that is, foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), swine vesicular disease (SVD), and vesicular exanthema of swine (VES), which all display vesicular lesions on the mouth and/or feet, and some (e.g., FMD) of which have significant impact on international trade. Therefore, differentiation of VS from other vesicular diseases is vital to contain the spread of these diseases and reduce their drain on agriculture industry.