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cowpox virus
Epidemiology:
- transmitted by contact with infected animals (cats)
Pathology:
- causes skin disease, similar to but much milder than smallpox
- infection & recovery from cowpox confers immunity to smallpox
Clinical manifestations:
- initially a pustule, evolving into a necrotic ulceration with a black eschar. 2 cm (case report) [2]
- surrounding erythema
- regional lymphadenopathy
* images [2]
Laboratory:
- swab specimen for orthopoxvirus DNA
Management:
- no specific treatment
Notes:
- originally transmitted when dairymaids touched the udders of infected cows
- used to perform the first successful vaccination against smallpox
General
poxviridae
Properties
KINGDOM: virus
GENOME-TYPE: deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
DOUBLE-STRANDED
CIRCULAR
GENOME-SIZE: 130-280 kB
ENVELOPE: PRESENT
CAPSID-SYMMETRY: COMPLEXITY
References
- Wikipedia: Cowpox
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowpox
- Talarek E, Marczynska M.
Cowpox Virus Infection.
N Engl J Med 2018; 378:181. January 11, 2018
PMID: 29320650 Free full text
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMicm1702548