Holstein heifer with numerous cutaneous papillomas on the forelimbs (BPV-3).
A disease caused by bovine papillomavirus (BPV), of which several types are distinguished. Those of clinical interest are types 1 through 6, with different locations and characteristics: cutaneous localization, as in this case, is attributable to BPV type 3.
The infection is transmissible through direct contact or via contaminated objects (grooming brushes), and affects both young and adult animals, causing pedunculated wart-like lesions on the skin in various body regions. The growths may be small, but can reach up to 30–40 cm in diameter. It can affect individual animals or spread to several animals.
Treatment: in cases of widespread, large lesions affecting multiple animals, a herd-wide vaccine may be used; in individual cases, surgical removal of the pathological tissue may be necessary, but it is often sufficient to induce ischemic necrosis of the fibrotic growth by tying off the stalk with a wire or cable ties.
