Bovine papular stomatitis is a viral disease that affects cattle. Viral papillomas are found around the lips and mouths of young animals, particularly in cattle from the ages of 1 month to 2 years.
A cow with bovine papular stomatitis, manifested by reddish, raised, ulcerated lesions on the lower lip.
Courtesy of Dr. Sameeh M. Abutarbush.
Viral papillomas are caused by a poxvirus in the Parapoxvirus genus (ie, bovine papular stomatitis virus). In some herds, the rate of occurrence is 100%.
Like pseudocowpox virus, bovine papular stomatitis virus is zoonotic, and infection in humans causes superficial skin lesions often called milker’s nodules. Furthermore, although bovine papular stomatitis is usually of little clinical importance in cattle, the presence of circular lesions in the mouth can raise the suspicion that they are ruptured vesicles associated with reportable diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, vesicular stomatitis, or lumpy skin disease.
In cattle with bovine papular stomatitis, lesions are characteristically white to pink and raised, and they appear proliferative (see ).
Pearls & Pitfalls
|
Most papillomas resolve spontaneously. In some cases, however, the lesions coalesce to form cosmetically unacceptable masses, and owners might request surgical removal.
Surgical removal of larger masses can be cosmetically acceptable and lessen recovery time. Small masses can also be manually debrided or crushed to stimulate the immune system. Other therapies, including cryosurgery and the use of autologous vaccines, can be effective. Most papillomas eventually disappear, if given time.
See Pseudocowpox and Bovine Papular Stomatitis in Cattle.
For More Information
Smith BP, Van Metre DC, Pusterla N, eds. Large Animal Internal Medicine. 6th ed. Elsevier; 2020.
Also see pet owner content regarding disorders of the mouth in horses.
