Diabetes Mellitus in Cattle Infected With Bovine Viral Diarrhea Mucosal Disease Virus

Abstract

Diabetes in cattle has various etiologies¹. In humans, virus-induced insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) has been reported. It has also been reported that cattle infected with foot-and-mouth disease contracted diabetes mellitus². Craighead and coworkers observed experimental diabetes in mice after inoculation of encephalomyocarditis virus³. Other viruses suspected of inducing diabetes are coxsackie, mumps, rubella and cytomegalo virus⁴.

Bovine viral diarrhea mucosal disease (BVD-MD) is a frequently fatal infectious disease of cattle. There is no concrete evidence to date that BVD-MD virus induces diabetes. In this report, the clinicopathological characteristics of diabetes mellitus in cattle were described, and the relationship between BVD-MD and diabetes mellitus was discussed.