title: Cowpox virus infection in a child after contact with a domestic cat: a case report.
abstract: Human cowpox represents a seldom diagnosed zoonosis but this diagnosis should be considered more frequently as the number of cases has increased in recent years. We describe a case of cowpox in an 11-yearold boy following regular direct daily contact with a domestic cat. The 11-year-old patient, an otherwise healthy boy, demonstrated skin ulceration located at his chin, with enlargement of regional lymph nodes and fever reaching 39°C. The diagnosis of cowpox was made on the basis of PCR involving DNA isolated from a scab covering the skin lesion. Application of PCR involving DNA isolated from the scab covering the lesion with parallel use of OPXV-specific (ORF F4L) and CPXV-specific (ORF B9R) oligonucleotide primer sequences is recommended for rapid laboratory confirmation of the diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Żaba
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jałowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Michał J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kowalczyk
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bowszyc-Dmochowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Zygmunt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Adamski
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Poznań University of Medical Sciences, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szkaradkiewicz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology / Q000635:transmission*; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D015605:Cowpox / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000635:transmission*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015047:Zoonoses
keywords: Diagnosis; Human cowpox; Zoonotic infection