Lumpy Skin Disease in Kangayam and Bargur Cattle Breeds of Tamil Nadu, India

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a notifiable, transboundary poxviral infection affecting cattle and buffalo in India. The causative agent, lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), exhibits close genetic relatedness to sheep pox and goat pox viruses within the genus Capripoxvirus. The present study focuses on the clinical presentation and molecular confirmation of LSD in indigenous Kangayam and Bargur cattle breeds in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, covering the period from October 2020 to November 2025. Clinically affected animals exhibited generalised cutaneous nodular lesions along with other signs consistent with LSDV infection. A total of 32 clinical specimens, comprising 23 skin scab samples and 9 whole blood samples collected from affected cattle, were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting the p32 and F genes of Capripoxviruses. All 23 skin scab samples tested positive, whereas only one whole blood sample yielded a positive result. The findings confirm the circulation of LSDV in Kangayam and Bargur cattle breeds, as evidenced by both clinical manifestations and molecular detection, thereby facilitating differentiation from other clinically similar bovine diseases.