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The Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Livestock...
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The Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Livestock Animals, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 3278

Editor

Prof. Dr. Selwyn Arlington Headley

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Animal Pathology, Veterinary Hospital, Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, ‎Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Campus Universitário, Londrina, Brazil
Interests: bovine respiratory disease; diagnostic immunohistochemistry; histological patterns of infectious disease agents; malignant catarrhal fever; molecular epidemiology; pathogenesis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a continuation of our previous one, entitled “The Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Livestock Animals”.

This Special Issue focuses on the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and diagnosis of infectious diseases in livestock animals. Infectious diseases in livestock can have a significant impact on animal health and productivity, as well as on human health and the economy. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the underlying mechanisms of these diseases and to develop effective strategies for their prevention, control, and diagnosis. For this Special Issue, we invite the scientific community to submit original scientific articles, reviews, opinion articles, and/or short communications from fields of research related to infectious diseases in livestock animals.

The articles published in this Special Issue will cover a range of topics related to infectious diseases in livestock. They will provide insights into the pathogenesis of various infectious agents, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other parasitic pathogens, and how these agents interact with their hosts to cause disease. Papers related to the epidemiology of infectious diseases in livestock that address the factors that contribute to their dissemination and the methods used to control their transmission are also welcome to be submitted to this Special Issue.

In addition, this Special Issue aims to highlight the latest advances in the diagnosis of infectious diseases in livestock. We invite the submission of articles describing various diagnostic techniques, including traditional methods such as bacteriology, mycology, and virology, as well as newer diagnostic approaches such as molecular biology, new-generation sequencing, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. The use of these techniques in the detection, pathogenesis, and identification of infectious agents of livestock animals, as well as their advantages and limitations, is welcome to be elucidated in this Special Issue.

Overall, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of infectious diseases in livestock, as well as the tools and strategies available for their prevention, control, and diagnosis. We hope that this Special Issue will be a valuable resource for veterinarians, researchers, and policymakers involved in the fight against infectious diseases in livestock.

Prof. Dr. Selwyn Arlington Headley
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pathogenesis
  • epidemiology
  • diagnosis
  • livestock animals
  • infectious diseases

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 3998 KB  
Article
Lectin-Based Antiviral Strategies for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus 2 Infection: Griffithsin Suppresses Viral Replication In Vitro and Reduces Early Viremia In Vivo
by Darshana Kadekar, Deepak Velayudhan, Ester Vinyeta, Jianqiang Zhang, Ethan Aljets, Veeraya Bamrung, Panchan Sitthicharoenchai, Alyona Michael, Keith Frogue, Meng Heng, Amy Liu, Cristina Bongiorni, Manasi Bhate, David A. Estell, Chong Shen and Charlotte Poulsen
Microorganisms 2026, 14(5), 1098; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14051098 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 343
Abstract
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) remains a major challenge to swine production worldwide. Current vaccines have limited efficacy against genetically diverse PRRSV strains. Therefore, strategies with alternative modes of action—such as antiviral approaches that target conserved virus–host interactions, including viral attachment [...] Read more.
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) remains a major challenge to swine production worldwide. Current vaccines have limited efficacy against genetically diverse PRRSV strains. Therefore, strategies with alternative modes of action—such as antiviral approaches that target conserved virus–host interactions, including viral attachment and entry, rather than relying solely on adaptive immune responses—are needed. We first evaluated the in vitro effect of griffithsin (GRFT), a high-mannose-binding lectin, in the monkey kidney cell line MARC-145. Cells were pre-treated with GRFT (50–200 µg/mL) prior to PRRSV infection, after which cell morphology and viral RNA replication (measured by RT-qPCR) were assessed. Pre-treatment with 100–200 µg/mL GRFT, followed by PRRSV inoculation at a multiplicity of infection of 1 or 10, reduced viral replication in MARC145 cells in a dose-dependent manner, achieving almost 100% inhibition of ORF5 and ORF7 RNA compared with untreated controls (p < 0.0001). We next investigated the in vivo effects of intranasal GRFT administration (7.5 or 15 mg/day) in pigs (n = 56). Pigs treated with 15 mg/day GRFT exhibited significantly reduced (p < 0.05) viremia 2, 4 and 7 days post-challenge, compared with untreated, challenged, and controls (log10 8.1 ± 0.2 vs. 9.0 ± 0.25, 8.2 ± 0.1 vs. 9.1 ± 0.2, and 8.9 ± 0.2 vs. 9.3 ± 0.2, respectively), along with earlier resolution of fever and a trend toward increased average daily gain over 42 days (p < 0.1). These findings are the first report of GRFT efficacy in pigs and support its potential as an antiviral strategy against PRRSV, alongside existing interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Livestock Animals, 2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 1666 KB  
Article
Development and Validation of a Population Assay for the Seroprevalence of Lumpy Skin Disease
by Manjunatha Reddy Gundallahalli Bayyappa, Sudeep Nagaraj, Shraddha Bijalwan, Chethan Kumar Harlipura Basavarajappa, Sathish Bhadravati Shivachandra and Baldev Raj Gulati
Microorganisms 2026, 14(2), 373; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms14020373 - 5 Feb 2026
Viewed by 987
Abstract
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a transboundary bovine viral disease. It has a significant economic impact and is caused by the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV). Effective surveillance tools are essential for the early detection of infection, outbreak control, and assessment of vaccination [...] Read more.
Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a transboundary bovine viral disease. It has a significant economic impact and is caused by the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV). Effective surveillance tools are essential for the early detection of infection, outbreak control, and assessment of vaccination coverage in endemic regions such as India. In this study, an in-house ELISA based on inactivated whole-virus antigen (WVA) was developed, optimized, and validated for the detection of LSDV antibodies in cattle. Its field applicability was assessed through a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey conducted across five Indian states. A local field isolate of LSDV (strain 5-Chitra) was cultured in MDBK cells, inactivated using binary ethylenimine (BEI), and used as the antigen source. The assay was optimized by checkerboard titration and evaluated against the Serum Neutralization Test (SNT). Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) analyses, while cross-reactivity was assessed using sera positive for HS, IBR, BQ, MCF, GTP, SPP, CE, FMD, and Brucellosis. Assay reproducibility was confirmed through inter- and intra-laboratory validation. For the seroprevalence study, 3230 cattle serum samples were collected using a stratified random sampling design across five Indian states, and logistic regression analysis of a subset of 1302 samples was performed to assess the influence of age and sex on LSDV seropositivity. Checkerboard titration identified optimal ELISA conditions at 50 ng of antigen per well, a 1:150 serum dilution, and a 1:10,000 dilution of anti-bovine HRP-conjugated secondary antibody. The WVA-ELISA demonstrated excellent diagnostic performance, with 100% sensitivity, 95% specificity, and no cross-reactivity with other ruminant bacterial or viral pathogens, and showed high laboratory reproducibility (κ > 0.96). Seroprevalence ranged from 50.6% to 71.1% across the five states, indicating widespread exposure to LSDV. Risk factor analysis revealed significantly higher odds of seropositivity among calves (≤1 year old) and female cattle, suggesting age- and sex-dependent susceptibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Livestock Animals, 2nd Edition)
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8 pages, 936 KB  
Communication
Occurrence of Hemotropic Mycoplasmas in Commercial Pig Herds in Southeastern Brazil
by Daniele Soares Fialho, Agostinho Sérgio Scofano, Karyne dos Santos Marins da Silva, Katielle Ribeiro da Silva, Lara Celeste Araujo do Carmo Cordeiro, Nathalie Costa da Cunha, Elmiro Rosendo do Nascimento and Thomas Salles Dias
Microorganisms 2025, 13(6), 1328; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061328 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 1461
Abstract
Mycoplasma suis infects pig red blood cells and is linked to anemia, weakened immunity, and production losses. Infected animals may remain subclinical carriers, contributing to pathogen dissemination. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of M. suis in commercial pig farms in the [...] Read more.
Mycoplasma suis infects pig red blood cells and is linked to anemia, weakened immunity, and production losses. Infected animals may remain subclinical carriers, contributing to pathogen dissemination. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of M. suis in commercial pig farms in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. A total of 416 blood samples from 55 farms were analyzed using conventional PCR targeting the hemotropic Mycoplasmas (16S rRNA) and a species-specific PCR for M. suis (23S rRNA). Among the samples, 131 (31.49%) tested positive for hemoplasmas and 58 (13.94%) for M. suis with a significantly higher frequency in sows (p < 0.01). The Metropolitan microregion showed the highest prevalence (23.53%). The discrepancy between the prevalence for the genus and the species suggests the possible presence of other hemotropic Mycoplasma species and highlights the limitations of 16S rRNA-based assays. These findings emphasize the need for more specific molecular targets and continuous monitoring strategies to control infection in pig farming. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Pathogenesis, Epidemiology and Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases in Livestock Animals, 2nd Edition)
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