A hidden virus in New York's livestock poses a silent threat

Health · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the rural landscapes of Western New York, a vector-borne virus is moving through domestic herds. While it causes devastating mortality in local wildlife, it often remains invisible in cattle and sheep, creating a complex puzzle for agricultural health officials trying to map its spread.

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) is a significant concern for New York's agricultural sector. Transmitted by Culicoides midges, the virus is known to cause high mortality in white-tailed deer. In 2021 alone, approximately 2,100 white-tailed deer deaths in New York State were attributed to EHDV. The virus is also capable of causing oral lesions in cattle that mimic foot and mouth disease, a major concern for livestock safety. The virus was detected in a captive bison herd in the state. In 2021, an outbreak at a dairy farm prompted a foreign animal disease investigation. This was done specifically to rule out the presence of foot and mouth disease.

A surveillance study conducted by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine from 2022 to 2025 examined the seroprevalence of EHDV in domestic ruminants. Testing 5,698 samples—including 4,874 cattle and 824 small ruminants—revealed an overall seroprevalence of 0.6%. The study found that while small ruminants like sheep and goats typically do not develop clinical disease, they do seroconvert, meaning they develop antibodies to the virus. Researchers used the agar gel immunodiffusion assay to conduct these tests. The surveillance occurred during and after the period of Culicoides vector activity. This specific timeframe spanned from July through January across three different seasons.

The research identified specific infections of EHDV serotypes 2 and 6 within these domestic herds. Of the 34 positive samples tested, 31 were from cattle and 3 were from sheep. Notably, 19 of these samples came from counties that experienced high white-tailed deer mortality or confirmed cattle cases in 2021. This indicates that the virus is subclinically infecting a small number of domestic animals, potentially moving through the landscape even when symptoms are not visible to the human eye. The study measured neutralizing antibody titers for three different serotypes. These included serotypes 1, 2, and 6. The positive cattle samples showed titers ranging from 1:40 to at least 1:1280.

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