According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), there have been 386 confirmed or suspected cases of vesicular stomatitis among U.S. livestock since April 29, 2015. The current outbreak began in New Mexico and has since spread to Utah, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota with 61 confirmed cases reported between August 26th and September 2nd.

Vesicular stomatitis is a disease caused by Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that primarily affects horses and cattle causing excessive salivation and blister-like lesions. Symptoms can lead to severe weight loss and decreased milk production in dairy cattle. Livestock showing signs of infection require quarantine.  Outbreaks lead to serious economic losses within agricultural industries. 

VSV is a bullet-shaped, enveloped virus and member of the family Rhabdoviridae. Although rare, human transmission can occur with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and malaise. Treatment is currently unavailable and spread of infection should be controlled through isolation and proper disinfection. Contact the lab for more information on this virus.