Abortion is also a feature.
Infestation with ticks, notably Rhipicephalus appendiculatus , substantiates any suspicion as to the agent involved. There is a low total white cell count in the early febrile stages. Ganjam virus in India is believed to be a strain of NSD and causes a similar syndrome. NSD is an apparently rare zoonotic agent in the field, causing a mild influenza-like disease in humans, but at least seven laboratory aerosol infections by Ganjam virus have been recorded. Sheep are the most sensitive animals for this, whereas a baby hamster kidney cell line and lamb or hamster kidney cell cultures are the most sensitive cells.