Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF) is an often fatal, sporadic gammaherpesvirus-induced disease of ruminants with global relevance. Ovine gammaherpesvirus-2 (OvHV-2), with sheep as its reservoir host, is a major cause of MCF in susceptible species. Despite extensive research on the molecular aspects of the disease, its pathogenesis is not yet fully understood. The present study re-established the Syrian golden hamster (