Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) can affect both domestic and wild artiodactyls. In a zoological setting, in which subclinical carriers and susceptible species are often housed in close proximity, the disease can prove fatal. This report describes a case of goat-associated MCF in a captive moose ( Alces alces). The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathology, which showed lymphocytic vasculitis in the brain and panuveitis, and by detection of caprine herpesvirus 2 DNA in tissues. Identical viral DNA sequences amplified from the clinically affected moose and from domestic, petting goats ( Capra aegagrus hircus) housed in the zoo suggest that the goats were the source for the virus transmutation. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of confirmed goat-associated MCF in any moose in North America and of the surveillance measures and procedures put in place to prevent additional spread of the disease.
Keywords: Alces alces; caprine-herpesvirus 2 (CpHV-2); goats; malignant catarrhal fever (MCF); moose.