Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Fatal Cowpox Virus Infection in an Aborted Foal.
- Journal:
- Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.)
- Year:
- 2016
- Authors:
- Franke, Annika et al.
- Affiliation:
- 1 Institute of Diagnostic Virology · Germany
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
This study talks about a foal that was aborted during pregnancy and had signs of a cowpox virus infection. The foal's skin showed many small bumps, and tests confirmed the presence of the virus. Researchers were able to isolate the virus from the skin and identified it as a new strain called "CPXV Amadeus." This case adds to our understanding of how cowpox can occasionally infect horses, which is very rare. Unfortunately, the foal did not survive due to the infection.
Abstract
The article describes the isolation of a cowpox virus (CPXV) isolate originating from a horse. The skin of a foal, aborted in the third trimester, displayed numerous cutaneous papules. The histological examination showed A-type inclusion bodies within the lesion, typical for CPXV infections. This suspicion was confirmed by real-time PCR where various organs were analyzed. From skin samples, virus isolation was successfully performed. Afterwards, the whole genome of this new isolate "CPXV Amadeus" was sequenced by next-generation technology. Phylogenetic analysis clearly showed that "CPXV Amadeus" belongs to the "CPXV-like 1" clade. To our opinion, the study provides important additional information on rare accidental CPXV infections. From the natural hosts, the voles, species such as rats, cats, or different zoo animals are occasionally infected, but until now only two horse cases are described. In addition, there are new insights toward congenital CPXV infections.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27159333/