Vesicular stomatitis virus Vesicular stomatitis virus Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus (VSIV; often still referred to as VSV) is a virus in the family "Rhabdoviridae"; the well-known rabies virus belongs to the same family. VSIV can infect insects, cattle, horses and pigs. It has particular importance to farmers in certain regions of the world where it infects cattle. This is because its clinical presentation is identical to the very important foot and mouth disease virus. The virus is zoonotic and leads to a flu-like illness in infected humans. It is also a common laboratory virus used to study the properties of viruses in the
Diphtheritic stomatitis breeding seasons. It seems that only the New Zealand South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura were affected. During the latest outbreak of the disease (2004), several treatment methods were tested. Main treatment involved the administration of antibiotics, in some cases glucose solution or dietary mixtures were additionally supplemented. Outcome of the different treatment methods varied greatly. Especially the success of antibiotic treatment and a widespread use on wild animals remains a matter of debate. Diphtheritic stomatitis Diphtheritic stomatitis is a recently discovered disease and has thus far been reported only in Yellow-eyed penguins ("Megadyptes antipodes"). Its symptoms are similar to human