An outbreak of contagious ecthyma in goat in Brahmaputra riverine bed in South Kamrup area of Assam

An outbreak of contagious ecthyma (Orf) was observed 21 goats (15 adults & 6 young) in the South Kamruparea area of Assam. The goats were anorectic, depressed, weak, dehydrated with protrusion of tongue. Gross lesions were observed in the lips, muzzle, tongue, gum, udder and in legs in few cases. The lesions appeared as papules, vesicles, pustules and scabs. The lips, muzzle, tongue and gums were swollen, nodular with ulcers and covered with dark brown to black scabs. Clinically affected goats were treated with lugol's iodine, boroglycerine, antibiotic gentamycin and dextrose saline and recovery was observed within 7 to 10 days but one goat succumbed to death. Histopathological lesions showed hyperplasia, thickening of epidermis, degeneration with vacuolation, ballooning of cells in the epidermis and eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusion bodies in keratinocytes.