Can BVD be Determined from the Necropsy Examination of Dead Cattle?
The short answer is yes! Many of the disease problems caused by the BVD virus cause characteristic lesions in various tissues of cattle. A lesion is an abnormal change in the structure of a tissue. This abnormal structure or lesion might be observable with the naked eye and is referred to as a gross lesion. Or the lesion may be seen only with the aid of a microscope and is referred to as a microscopic lesion. The BVD virus causes both gross and microscopic lesions and decades of study have found there are certain patterns of damage typical of BVD infection. In typical outbreaks of BVD there are erosions and ulcers throughout the digestive tract—often from the mouth to the anus. The BVD virus has a tendency to attack specific areas of the gut, such as the Peyer’s patches. The Peyer’s patches are regions of the gut involved with the immune system. This is one of the reasons the BVD virus can be so damaging—it attacks the immune system, which has the responsibility for fighting off infect
