Lumpy Skin Disease in Cattle and Buffaloes: Pathogenesis, Immunopathology, Diagnosis, and Vaccination in India

Abstract

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) has become endemic in India following its introduction in 2019 and the extensive 2022 epidemic. This review examines current evidence on LSD virus epidemiology, pathogenesis, pathology, immunity, diagnosis, and vaccination, with emphasis on cattle and water buffaloes in India. The characteristic skin nodule is associated with viral tropism for epithelial and vascular cells, necrotising fibrinoid vasculitis, thrombosis, and ischaemic necrosis. Intracytoplasmic inclusions support the diagnosis but may be sparse. Buffaloes usually develop mild or subclinical infection and require species-specific validation of serological tests. Lesion tissue, scabs, and nasal swabs generally provide better molecular diagnostic yield than whole blood. India's homologous live-attenuated vaccine, Lumpi-ProVacInd, includes a deletion that may support differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals. Priorities include standardised lesion grading, buffalo-specific diagnostics, whole-genome surveillance, and robust field studies of vaccine effectiveness.

Keywords: lumpy skin disease virus; cattle; water buffalo; vasculitis; immunopathology; diagnosis; vaccination; India