Abstract

BackgroundInfectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is a transmissible disease in semi-domesticated Eurasian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). It is regarded as multifactorial and a single causative pathogen has not yet been identified. From clinical outbreaks we have previously identified Cervid herpesvirus 2 (CvHV2) and Moraxella bovoculi as candidates for experimental investigations. Eighteen reindeer were inoculated in the right eye with CvHV2 (n = 5), M. bovoculi (n = 5), CvHV2 and M. bovoculi (n = 5) or sterile saline water (n = 3; controls).ResultsAll animals inoculated with CvHv2, alone or in combination with M. bovoculi, showed raised body temperature, increased lacrimation, conjunctivitis, excretion of pus and periorbital oedema; clinical signs that increased in severity from day 2 post inoculation (p.i.) and throughout the experiment, until euthanasia 5–7 days p.i. Examination after euthanasia revealed corneal oedema, and three animals displayed a corneal ulcer. CvHV2 could be identified in swab samples from both the inoculated eye and the control eye from most animals and time points, indicating a viral spread from the inoculation site.ConclusionsThis study showed that CvHV2 alone and in combination with M. bovoculi was able to cause the characteristic clinical signs of IKC in reindeer, whereas inoculation of M. bovoculi alone, originally isolated from a reindeer with IKC, did not produce clinical signs. Previous studies have suggested that herding procedures, animal stress and subsequent reactivation of latent CvHV2 infection in older animals is a plausible mechanism for IKC outbreaks among reindeer calves and young animals in reindeer herds. However, further studies are needed to fully understand the infection biology and epidemiology associated with IKC in reindeer.

Highlights

  • Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is a transmissible disease in semi-domesticated Eurasian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus)

  • In spite of long-term awareness of IKC in reindeer, a causative agent has not yet been identified and IKC in reindeer is regarded as a multi-factorial disease, similar to infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), commonly referred to as “pinkeye” in cattle

  • The Gramnegative bacterium Moraxella bovis is suggested as the causative agent of IBK [5], recent studies have shown that Moraxella bovoculi, originally identified in 2002 and shown to be distinct from M. bovis, may be associated with IBK [6, 7]

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Summary

Introduction

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is a transmissible disease in semi-domesticated Eurasian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). It is regarded as multifactorial and a single causative pathogen has not yet been identified. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) has been reported in semi-domesticated Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Fennoscandia for more than a century [1], causing outbreaks among calves of the year (

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