A Study of the Susceptibility of Laboratory Animals to the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study on the susceptibility of laboratory animals to the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). Mice weighing 15–20 g, hamsters weighing 40–60 g, guinea pigs weighing 600–1200 g, and rabbits weighing 2.5–3 kg were used in this study. Nodules were observed on the skin of rabbits and hamsters at the sites of inoculation. The virus was isolated from the affected skin areas in cell culture and examined using real-time PCR, indicating its tropism for animal skin. The production of anticapripoxvirus antibodies was detected using the neutralization reaction, starting from 10 days after infection in mice, 27 days in rabbits, and 14 days in hamsters. Some laboratory animals exhibited multiple skin nodules. This indicates that these animal species may play a role in maintaining the epizootic process.