Lumpy skin disease
Also called LSD
A viral disease of cattle and buffalo spread by biting insects. It causes fever and firm skin nodules over the body, and leaves animals thin and with poor milk yield for months.
Cause and spread
- Cause
- Lumpy skin disease virus, a capripoxvirus related to sheep pox and goat pox.
- How it spreads
- Mainly by biting insects acting as mechanical carriers, such as stable flies, other biting flies, mosquitoes and midges. Ticks probably play little part in fast spread during outbreaks.
Signs to watch for
- Fever, runny nose and eyes, and loss of appetite
- Firm round nodules in the skin, from under 1 cm to about 8 cm, on the head, neck, udder, legs and body
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Nodules that can ulcerate and become infected
- Fall in milk yield and weight loss
- Lesions in the mouth and airways in some animals
Many diseases look alike. Only a laboratory test can tell them apart, so please see a veterinarian for any sick animal.
How it is diagnosed
The virus or its genetic material is found in skin nodules, scabs, nodule fluid or blood, best collected in the first week of illness. PCR is widely used, and some PCR tests can tell this virus from sheep pox and goat pox.
Prevention and control
- Control biting insects around the herd
- Keep sick animals apart and do not move animals from affected farms
- Report suspected cases to the animal husbandry department
- Live attenuated vaccines are used to control losses where the disease is endemic; follow the official vaccination programme
Where this information comes from
- Lumpy Skin Disease (factsheet) · Center for Food Security and Public Health, Iowa State University
General information for animal owners and veterinarians, last checked October 2026. It does not replace the advice of your veterinarian, who should decide which tests and treatment your animal needs.