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New research on MCF, or malignant catarrhal fever in cattle
dvm360 reported that scientists from the University of Liège in Belgium have published a study that expands the current state of knowledge on malignant catarrhal fever (MCF, also known as bovine fever in Polish).
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MCF primarily affects farm animals such as cattle, buffalo, American bison, and deer. It occasionally, but rarely, affects pigs. The disease is caused by the AIHV-1 virus. It has a high mortality rate and unfortunately occurs worldwide.
What have scientists discovered about the cattle head?
In 2013, researchers from the same university published a study that showed that MCF only develops when the AIHV-1 virus can maintain a latent state of replication of its viral genome in CD8+ T cells. In a recent study, published on August 1, 2024, the research team found that the AIHV-1 virus leads to severe changes in CD8+ T cells in cattle.
Through sequencing, scientists discovered A10, a viral gene encoding a protein that is involved in intracellular signaling in infected cells.
"This protein was found to be essential for disease development without affecting viral replication in cell culture," Gong, a co-author of the study, explained in Meijiao. "We also showed that phosphorylation of A10 alters the phenotype of T cells, causing their proliferation and development of MCF," he added.
The study thus identifies A10 as a significant factor in the development of MCF. At the same time, it represents another step in understanding the course of the disease and potentially developing a treatment.
This study represents a significant step forward in understanding malignant bovine fever and offers hope for developing a vaccine that can protect cattle against this devastating disease.
—said Benjamin Dewals, co-author of the study.
Is the cattle head present in Poland?
The head is not a disease that occurs commonly in Poland. Nevertheless, it should sometimes be taken into account in differential diagnosis. Although it does not cause many losses in Poland, it is still a dangerous disease.
Malignant bovine catarrhal fever is a disease that is not very contagious. However, it is also difficult to treat. It causes large losses in cattle herds if it attacks cows with the highest genetic potential.
Source: dvm360 – New research uncovers infection mechanism behind deadly disease in cattle (Abi Bautista-Alejandre)
