38 - Feline Poxvirus Infections

Abstract

•First Described: Feline poxvirus infection was first described in the United Kingdom in 1978.•Causes: Poxviruses (family Poxviridae, genus Orthopoxvirus). Cowpox virus infection is by far the most frequently reported poxviral infection of both cats and dogs. Other poxvirus infections have also rarely been described in pets.•Affected Hosts: Cats, less often dogs, and a variety of other mammalian host species.•Geographic Distribution: Cowpox virus is limited to Europe and Asia; infections with other poxviruses have been described in North America.•Mode of Transmission: Entry through a break in the skin.•Major Clinical Signs: Single or multiple, papular, and crusted skin lesions with fever, lethargy, hyporexia, and signs of pneumonia can also occur in affected cats.•Differential Diagnoses: Allergic dermatitis, facial dermatitis caused by FHV-1, nocardiosis, mycobacteriosis, cutaneous lymphoma, autoimmune dermatoses such as pemphigus foliaceus, cutaneous drug reactions.•Human Health Significance: Many poxviruses, including cowpox and orf viruses, are zoonotic, and owners of affected animals need to be advised of the threat to their health.