Cowpox infection transmitted from a domestic cat.
A 21-year-old immunocompetent woman developed a cowpox infec-tion,while working as a veterinarian's assistant in a rural area. She had never received vaccinia immunization and came in contact with a fatally-infected house cat. Under symptomatic treatment, the infection remained localized to one cheek and cleared over 3 weeks with substantial dermal-subcutaneous tissue destruction. Orthopoxvirus detection by PCR is a modern diagnostic standard, in addition to identification by negative-contrast electron microscopy. A promising therapeutic option is cidofovir, but this virostatic drug is not yet approved for the treatment of cowpox.
Bonnekoh
Bernd
B
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University of Magdeburg, Germany. bernd.bonnekoh@medizin.uni-magdeburg.de
Falk
Kristof
K
Reckling
Karl-Friedrich
KF
Kenklies
Susanne
S
Nitsche
Andreas
A
Ghebremedhin
Beniam
B
Pokrywka
Anna
A
Franke
Ingolf
I
Thriene
Bernd
B
König
Wolfgang
W
Pauli
Georg
G
Gollnick
Harald
H
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission*; D002415:Cats; D015605:Cowpox / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017193:Skin Diseases, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy / Q000635:transmission*