title: Localized cowpox infection in a 5-month-old Rottweiler.
abstract: Cowpox virus (CPXV) infections are a sporadic cause of localized or disseminated skin disease in domestic animals and humans in Europe. Rodents are considered the primary reservoir host for CPXV. Cats can become infected by close contact with rodents and are the most important source of human infections. Recently, public awareness has also been drawn to CPXV infections by an outbreak of rat to human infections in central Europe. In dogs, CPXV infections are rare. Here we report a case of a 5-month-old Rottweiler with a focal nodule on the muzzle. The lesion was fully excised, and recovery was uneventful. The preliminary diagnosis of a CPXV infection was established by the characteristic inclusion bodies on histopathological examination. The diagnosis was confirmed by electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Sequencing of the PCR product led to a 231 bp sequence of the orthopoxvirus HA gene that was identical to a CPXV strain previously isolated from a cat. This is the third documented case of a canine CPXV infection.
authors.affiliation: Specialty Practice for Veterinary Pathology, Hartelstrasse 30, 80689 München, Germany. vb@veterinary-pathology.com
authors.forename: Wolf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: von Bomhard
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mauldin
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Breuer
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pfleghaar
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nitsche
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015605:Cowpox / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D004285:Dogs; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology