Isolation and identification of bovine viral diarrhea-mucosal disease virus (BVD-MD virus) from an atypical case resembling malignant catarrhal fever (MCF)

The clinical and pathological picture of the BVD/MD complex is most protean, and the majority of cases run a subclinical course (Bruner & Gillespie 1966). The disease complex has been recorded in many countries and on all continents (Mills et ah 1965). In Scandinavia a BVD/MD-like disease, the “Umeå disease”, was described by Nystedt in northern Sweden in 1960 and later proved to be a mixed infection of bovine parainfluenza virus type 3 and BVD/MD virus (Dinter & Bakos 1961). In 1961 the Umea syndrome was reported in Denmark by Borgen & Dinter and in Finland by Rislakki. In Norway the picture of the BVD/MD complex has been known for many years although no isolation of the virus has yet been described*. The isolation and identification of the virus from an atypical case of BVD/MD in a heifer is described in the following.