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PATHOGEN SAFETY DATA SHEET

Vesicular Stomatitis

SECTION I : DISEASE / INFECTIOUS AGENT

SYNONYM / CROSS REFERENCE : VS ⁽¹⁾

ETIOLOGY / TAXONOMY :

Family: Rhabdoviridae ⁽²⁾
Genus: Vesiclulovirus ⁽²⁾

ORGANISM CHARACTERISTICS :

• Medium sized, single-stranded RNA ⁽³⁾
• Bullet-shaped and measure approximately 70nm in diameter by 170nm in length ⁽⁴⁾
• Nucleocapsid is protected by a bi-layered lipid envelope ⁽⁴⁾
• Two serotypes of VSV domestic to the United States: New Jersey and Indiana-1; three exotic serotypes in South America: Indiana-2 (Cocal), Indiana-3 (Alagoas) and Piry ⁽⁵⁾
• Within serotypes, isolates differ in their physical, chemical and biological properties ⁽¹⁾
• Other viruses within the genus Vesiculovirus can cause vesicular lesions in domestic animals and humans
• There is no cross-immunity between the two sero-types (New Jersey and Indiana ) or with other common vesicular disease viruses

SURVEILLANCE :

Vesicular stomatitis is a reportable disease in Canada. Animal owners, veterinarians and laboratories are required to immediately report the presence of an animal that is infected or suspected of being infected to a CFIA district veterinarian. Control or eradication measures will be applied (http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/H-3.3/fulltoc.html).

DISTRIBUTION:

• The status of VS in Canada is non-indigenous
• VS is limited to the Americas; however, it was previously described in France and South Africa ⁽⁶⁾
• VS has not occurred in Canada since 1948 ⁽¹⁾

SECTION II : ANIMAL HEALTH HAZARD AND EPIDEMIOLOGY

CLINICAL DISEASE / PATHOGENESIS :

1) Clinical signs: ^(1,7)

• Animals develop a fever ranging from 40-41ºC
• Reduced feed intake or may stop eating and lose condition
• Lameness is often the first indication of disease
• Lactating animals reduce milk production or cease lactation, which may be permanent
• Virus spreads readily in a susceptible herd, approximately 90 % of animals show clinical signs consisting of profuse salivation and lameness
• Small "pea" size lesions or may involve entire tongue surface
• Clinical lesions are innocuous 5-6 days later
• Many infections in livestock are sub-clinical
• Serum antibodies persist for life and re-infection can occur
• Mortality rate is low

Horse: ^(5,7)

• Oral vesicles lead to drooling, chomping, and mouth rubbing
• Lesions principally involve the upper surface of the tongue, inner surface of lips, angles of the mouth and gums
• Coronary band vesicles lead to lameness
• Horses are most severely affected

Cattle and Pigs ^(1,5)

• Similar to FMD with vesicles in the oral cavity, mammary glands, coronary band, and interdigital region
• Some lesions extend onto the muzzle and external nares
• Vesicles are transitory and readily rupture, may recover in two weeks if no secondary infections present
• Other than the oral lesions present in both VS and FMD, there are no other internal lesions that are the same

Humans:

• Influenza-like illness; fever, cephalgia, muscular aches, rarely oral blisters similar to those caused by herpesvirus ⁽⁷⁾
• Recovery usually occurs within 4 -7 days ⁽⁵⁾

2) infectious dose: Unknown

3) incubation period: 2 to 8 days, but can vary up to 10 days ⁽³⁾

SOURCE / MODE OF TRANSMISSION / COMMUNICABILITY :

• Virus is shed in vesicular fluid and saliva for a few days ⁽³⁾
• Virus is present in blood of an infected human at least 24 hours before and 24 hours after the onset of fever ⁽⁸⁾
• Transmission can occur through direct contact between infected domestic and wild animals and susceptible livestock by transcutaneous or transmucosal route ^(1,3,9)
• Virus only enters through damaged skin and mucous membranes ⁽³⁾
• Infectivity diminished rapidly and may be lost within a week after the vesicles rupture ⁽¹⁾
• Transmitted indirectly by fomites such as milking machines, feed bunks, waterers, and humans to animals ⁽³⁾
• VS is transmitted mechanically through bites by arthropods feeding on infected secretions ^(1,9)
• Contaminated drinking water or feed with infected saliva and vesicular fluid can be a source of infection ⁽¹⁾
• Humans may become infected by contact and aerosol ⁽⁷⁾

VECTORS : ^(1,3)

• Arthropods; sandflies (phlebotomus, Culicoides), mosquitos (Aedes aegypti, Culex pipens quinquefasciatus, Trichoprosopon digitatum), mites (Gigantolaelaps), gnats (Hippelates pusio), horn (buffalo) flies, stable flies (Stomoxyc calcitrans) and blackflies (buffalo gnats)
• Involved mechanically and by bite
• In endemic areas, the virus is probably maintained by transmission cycles between insects and wild animals

HOST RANGE : ⁽⁹⁾

• Domestic hosts: equidae, bovidae, suidae
• Wild hosts: white-tailed deer and South American camelids
• Sheep and goats are relatively resistant; clinical cases are rare
• Human: minor zoonosis
• Experimentally: deer, raccoons, big-horn sheep, sloths, rodents, bats, bobcats and monkeys

ZOONOTIC POTENTIAL :

• Transmitted to humans via respiratory tract and conjunctiva and through skin abrasions ⁽³⁾
• Results in influenza-like symptoms ⁽⁷⁾

RESERVOIR : ⁽¹⁾

• Wild animals may act as reservoirs of infection
• It has not been established where and how the virus is maintained in nature and how it is transmitted between individual animals and herds
• It has been hypothesized that the VS virus might be a natural parasite of plants and/or invertebrates that are inadvertently eaten by grazing animals and the virus in liberated during mastication

SECTION III : DIAGNOSIS

NECROPSY / HISTOPATHOLOGY FINDINGS: ^(5,9)

• Lesions are limited to the epithelial tissues of the mouth, teats and feet
• Teat lesions are often complicated by severe mastitis and cessation of lactation

SAMPLE SUBMISSION:

• Whole blood: 5 ml in EDTA or heparin anti -coagulant
• Serum: 10 ml from each affected animal
• Fresh epithelium from lesions collected as aseptically as possible - one large or several small pieces from recent ruptured vesicle; place in vesicular transport media container
• Epithelium from healing vesicle is a poor sample for virus isolation
• Vesicular fluid aspirate from unruptured vesicle, collected in sterile tube
• Post mortem: lymph nodes, spleen, heart, thyroid, adrenal gland for both fresh and formalin fixed samples

All samples should be transported at 4ºC.

For more information regarding the type of samples necessary for VS diagnosis, please contact the National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease:

LABORATORY DIAGNOSIS: ^(5,6,9)

• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA)
• Virus neutralization
• Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)

DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY : ⁽⁹⁾

• Antibiotics may avoid secondary infection of abraded tissues

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS : ^(1,10)

The following diseases may show clinical similarity to VS:

Cattle:

• Foot and mouth disease
• Bluetongue
• Trauma, chemical injury
• Epizootic hemorrhagic disease
• Mucosal disease/ BVD
• Malignant catarrhal fever
• Footrot

Swine:

• Foot and mouth disease
• Vesicular exanthema
• Swine vesicular disease
• Trauma, chemical injury

Horses:

• Trauma, chemical injury

Sheep:

• Bluetongue
• Contagious ecthyma
• Lip and leg ulcerations
• Footrot

SECTION IV : DECONTAMINATION PROCEDURES

Select a registered disinfectant with a drug identification number (DIN). Use according to label directions for concentration and contact time. Consider organic load and temperature. It is recommended that laboratories evaluate the effectiveness of the disinfectant using a validated method (eg. Quantitative Carrier Test). See table 1 to help select a registered disinfectant for use against VS virus.

Table 1: Active ingredients considered to be effective against VS virus.

PHYSICAL INACTIVATION: ^(1,9)

• Inactivated by 58ºC for 30 minutes
• Stable between pH 4.0 and 10.0
• Sensitive to ultraviolet light

SURVIVAL OUTSIDE OF HOST :

• Relatively unstable, survives no more than several days in premises that have housed infected animals ⁽¹⁾
• Survives for long periods at low temperatures, experimentally in the presence of organic matter ⁽⁹⁾

SECTION V : LABORATORY HAZARDS FOR HUMANS

LABORATORY-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS : ⁽¹¹⁾

• Appear to be airborne and associated with the handling of animals
• A record of 40 cases in 1976, 31 of which occurred in one institution

BIOSAFETY PRECAUTIONS: ⁽⁴⁾

• Avoid the production of aerosols
• Lesions should be properly treated
• All diagnostic work with live agent should occur in a ventilated Bio-Safety hood

SECTION VI : PHYSICAL AND OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS :

All physical containment and operational practices for containment level 3, as per the Containment Standards for Veterinary Facilities must be met. The Standards can be accessed at : http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/lab/convet/convete.shtml

PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT :

Laboratory:

• Primary layer of protective clothing should include dedicated laboratory clothing (e.g. scrubs and headwear) and laboratory dedicated footwear.
• Secondary layer of protective clothing (e.g. solid-front gowns with tight-fitting wrists, 2 pairs of gloves) should be worn over laboratory clothing when directly handling infectious materials.
• Adequate respiratory protection should be worn when directly handling infectious material outside BSC.
• A shower is required on exit.

Post Mortem:

• Primary layer of protective clothing should include dedicated laboratory clothing (e.g. scrubs and headwear) and laboratory dedicated footwear.
• Secondary layer of protective clothing (e.g. solid-front gowns with tight-fitting wrists, 2 pairs of gloves) should be worn over laboratory clothing when directly handling infectious materials.
• Cut resistant gloves, adequate respiratory protection, steel toed/steel shanked rubber boots.
• A shower is required on exit.

HANDLING INFORMATION

Spills in laboratory:

Spill protocol must be in place and include the following scenarios:

• Spills inside the Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC)
• Spills outside the BSC
• Spills while performing aerosol generating procedures
• Also consider entry and exit procedure modifications if necessary, appropriate PPE, disinfection of spill and surroundings including contact time, flow (pattern) of the clean up and disposal of contaminated materials.

Refer to Table 1 for disinfectant selection.

STORAGE : All cultures and infected material should be stored in leakproof, sealed containers that are accurately labeled and clearly identified as a biohazard risk. The access to infectious material should be controlled at all times. Records must be kept to describe the use, inventory and disposal of infectious material.

DISPOSAL : Decontaminate all infectious material prior to disposal. Use steam sterilization, incineration or chemical disinfection.

REFERENCES :

1. Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan. 1996. Disease Strategy, Vesicular stomatitis:
   http://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?
   file_uuid=2B2C72B2-9F2B-59C1-BD6F-5930C87415BD&siteName=aahc.
2. Radostits OM, Gay CC, Blood DC, and KW Hinchcliff. Veterinary Medicine, A Textbook of the Diseases of Cattle, Sheep, Pigs, Goats and Horses. Ninth Edition. W.B. Saunders Company Ltd. 2000. Pages 1289-96.
3. Australian Veterinary Emergency Plan. Operational Procedures Manual: Decontamination. 2000. Page 42-50.
4. Acha, P.D. and Szyfres, B. Zoonoses and Communicable Diseases Common to Man and Animals. Third Edition. Volume II. Chlamydioses, Rickettsioses, and Viroses. Scientific and Technical Publication No. 580. Pan American Health Organization. 2003. Pages 347-55.
5. The Center for Food Security and Public Health. Vesicular stomatitis Fact Sheet. May 20, 2004.
   http://www.cfsph.iastate.edu/Factsheets/pdfs/vesicular_stomatitis.pdf.
6. Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals, OIE World Organisation for Animal Health. Vesicular Stomatitis, updated 2004/07/23.
   http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/mmanual/A_00025.htm.
7. Buisch W.W., Hyde J.L. & C.A. Mebus. Foreign Animal Diseases. Sixth Edition. American Public Health Association. 2000. Pages 419-23.
8. Chin, J. Control of Communicable Diseases Manual. 17th Edition. American Public Health Association. 2000. Pages 52-4.
9. World Organization for Animal Health, OIE. Animal Disease Data, Vesicular Stomatitis, updated 22/04/2002.
   http://www.oie.int/eng/maladies/fiches/a_A020.htm.
10. Foreign animal diseases, United states animal Health Association 1998 (revised )
11. Collins C.H. Laboratory Acquired Infections. Third Edition. Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. Oxford. 1993. Page 17.
12. Spickler A., Roth, J. Emerging and Exotic Diseases of Animals, 2004 Univ. Iowa Press.

LAST UPDATED: 2006/01/04
PREPARED BY: The Biohazard Containment and Safety Unit, and National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, CFIA

Disclaimer: Although the information and recommendations in this Pathogen Safety Data Sheet are compiled from reliable sources, there is no guarantee, warranty or any assurance that the information and recommendations are correct, accurate, sufficient, reliable or current and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency shall not be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from or in connection with the use of or reliance upon the information and recommendations.

The user assumes all risks and responsibility for and shall be liable for the use of and any reliance on the information and recommendations and the results thereof and any loss or damage resulting therefrom.

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