Abstract
An outbreak of a disease in camels with skin lesions was reported in Israel during 2016. To identify the etiological agent of this illness, we employed a multidisciplinary diagnostic approach. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis of lesion material revealed the presence of an orthopox-like virus, based on its characteristic brick shape. The virus from the skin lesions successfully infected chorioallantoic membranes and induced cytopathic effect in Vero cells, which were subsequently positively stained by an orthopox-specific antibody. The definite identification of the virus was accomplished by two independent qPCR, one of which was developed in this study, followed by sequencing of several regions of the viral genome. The qPCR and sequencing results confirmed the presence of camelpox virus (CMLV), and indicated that it is different from the previously annotated CMLV sequence available from GenBank. This is the first reported case of CMLV in Israel, and the first description of the isolated CMLV subtype.
Highlights
Pox and pox-like diseases belongs to a group of systemic diseases that in their classical form are manifested by skin lesions with various morphologies [1]
In the summer of 2016, a disease with skin manifestation was reported in camels in the southern part of Infected were reported inmanifestation two herds in the one the TelIn Israel
2016, a disease with skin wasBe′er-Sheba reported in district, camels in theinsouthern
Summary
Pox and pox-like diseases belongs to a group of systemic diseases that in their classical form are manifested by skin lesions with various morphologies [1]. The diagnosis of such skin lesions involves three main suspected viruses that can cause similar skin lesions [2]. Camelpox virus (CMLV), the causative agent of camelpox, belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus (OPV), and Camel contagious ecthyma virus (CCEV), the causative agent of Auzdik disease, which belongs to the genus. The third virus is camelus dromedary papillomavirus, the causative agent of camel papillomatosis [3]. Phylogenetic analysis shows that among OPV, CMLV is the closest to variola virus (VARV), the causative agent of smallpox [8]. Each virus exhibits a strictly narrow host range [9]; VARV exhibits exclusive human-specificity, whereas CMLV infect exclusively old world camelids [7], with very rare human infection cases [5]
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