Bovine papular stomatitis incidence in veterinary students.

Five cases of probable bovine papular stomatitis in faculty and students in a university veterinary clinic precipitated an intensive surveillance program. A senior class of veterinary medical students was questioned at the beginning of their clinical training to determine their history of exposure to cattle and presence of lesions resembling bovine papular stomatitis. Fifty-nine of the 115 students reported having had their hands in the mouths of cattle frequently. One of the 59 had experienced a hand lesion resembling bovine papular stomatitis. This class was maintained under close surveillance for bovine papular stomatitis-like lesions during the final 12 months of their clinical experience in veterinary school. One case developed in 8483 person days spent in the three high risk areas of beef cattle service, dairy cattle service and large animal anesthesiology. These two bovine papular stomatitis cases compare in frequency with five class members who had been vaccinated as a result of exposure to rabid animals and two class members with brucella antibodies in their sera. The findings suggest bovine papular stomatitis infections are not unusual in veterinary students but the mild clinical manifestations make the condition relatively unimportant.