rinderpest

rinderpest or cattle plague, an acute and highly infectious viral disease of cattle, primarily in N Africa, SE Asia, and India. It less frequently affects other ruminants, such as sheep, goats, and wild game. After an incubation period of three to nine days, a wide variety of symptoms may appear, including fever, inflammation of the mucous membranes, particularly the intestines, discharges from the eyes and nose, dehydration, and skin eruptions on the back and flanks. Death comes after four to eight days. It has been controlled largely by destroying infected animals; immunization by vaccine is now available, but should be followed by a period of quarantine.

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rinderpest

Acute, highly contagious viral disease of ruminants (including wild cloven-hoofed ones), common in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. The virus spreads by close direct or indirect contact. It is the most severe infectious disease of cattle, with sudden onset and high mortality; fever and loss of appetite are followed by symptoms including eye and nasal discharge, laboured breathing, and diarrhea; prostration, coma, and death follow within 6–12 days. Local eradication depends on controlling it in wild animals and eliminating infected domestic animals; vaccination combined with quarantine is effective.

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rinderpest [′rin·dər‚pest]

(veterinary medicine)

An acute, contagious, and often fatal virus disease of cattle, sheep, and goats which is characterized by fever and the appearance of ulcers on the mucous membranes of the intestinal tract.