A viral disease that affects livestock like sheep and cattle, spread by insects and causing swelling and discoloration of the tongue and mouth.
From blue + tongue, referring to the bluish discoloration of affected animals' tongues that gave the disease its name in the 19th century.
Bluetongue virus doesn't actually make tongues blue—the name comes from a purplish congestion that occurs, and it's economically devastating for farmers worldwide, jumping between species in surprising ways.
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