Abstract:
Within the tribe Bovini in the subfamily Bovinae, the water buffalo (Bubalus
Bubalis), American bison (Bison bison), European bison (Bubalus bonasus) and
yak (Bos grunniens) are recognized as species highly susceptible to malignant catarrhal
fever (MCF). In contrast, the lack of reports describing clinical MCF in the
African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) whether free ranging or captive has led to a perception
that African buffaloes are resistant to MCF. During the last decade, several
cases of MCF in African buffaloes were confirmed in South Africa and
experience with seven of these cases is described in this report. Detection of viral
nucleic acid in blood or tissues was successful in six African buffaloes that suffered
from clinical signs compatible with MCF. Four were positive for infection with
ovine herpesvirus type 2 (the causative virus of sheep-associated MCF), and two
were positive for alcelaphine herpesvirus type 1 (causative virus of wildebeestassociated
MCF). Histopathological examination of tissue samples from all the
animals yielded typical lesions that were consistent with those described for MCF in
domestic cattle. Developments in the management of African buffaloes translocated
from their traditional habitats have likely contributed to the identification of
another susceptible host in the subfamily Bovinae.
