Livestock producers now have access to a new PCR test that can detect and identify a serious disease in sheep and cattle, for which no vaccine is currently available.

The Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Northern Ireland is providing the £20 test to help farmers identify malignant catarrhal fever (MCF).

This deadly illness can impact various organ systems, including respiratory, gastrointestinal, neurological, and skin.

Symptoms may not surface until months after initial exposure and can include decreased milk production, fever, lack of appetite, and fatigue.

Currently, there are no vaccines or specific treatments available for MCF.

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In the UK, the disease is most frequently caused by infection with ovine herpesvirus-2 and is commonly found in sheep, which serve as lifelong carriers. However, the infection often goes unnoticed because it is typically subclinical.

In cattle, MCF can lead to a morbidity rate exceeding 95%, with fatalities occurring within 5 to 10 days after clinical signs appear.

While the transmission of MCF from sheep to cattle is not well understood, it is known that pregnant or recently lambed sheep and newborn lambs present the highest risk of transmitting MCF to cattle.

An AFBI spokesperson stated: "MCF is a severe disease of cattle, deer and other hoofed animals and AFBI now offer a MCF PCR to detect virus nucleotides that compliments the existing MCF antibody test.

"As some of the clinical signs are like those seen in other diseases such as BVD, severe IBR and Bluetongue, it is important to discuss such cases with your PVP.

"MCF can be confirmed through laboratory testing at AFBI."