In mild cases of LSD, the clinical symptoms and lesions are often confused with Bovine Herpesvirus 2 (BHV-2), which is, in turn, referred to as pseudo-lumpy skin disease. However, the lesions associated with BHV-2 infections are more superficial. BHV-2 also has a shorter course and is more mild than LSD. Electron microscopy can be used to differentiate between the two infections. BHV-2 is characterized by intranuclear inclusion bodies, as opposed to the intracytoplasmic inclusions characteristic of LSD. It is important to note that isolation of BHV-2 or its detection in negatively-stained biopsy specimens is only possible approximately one week after the development of skin lesions.
