RACCOONPOX INFECTION IN A CAT (CASE REPORT)
 |
Poxvirus infections affecting the skin of cats are extremely rare in North America, in contrast to Europe where cowpox virus is well recognized as an accidental pathogen in cats that hunt small rodents, especially mice. Most of them recover completely. What happens if the pathogen is a raccoonpox virus?
|
|
The virus or viruses responsible for the anecdotal cases in North America have never been characterized.
This paper reports a case of raccoonpox infection in a Canadian cat. Biopsy of the initial ulcerative lesion on the forepaw revealed ballooning degeneration of surface and follicular keratinoctyes.
Infected cells contained large eosinophilic type A inclusions.
Electron microscopic examination revealed virions of an orthopoxvirus, subsequently identified as raccoonpox by polymerase chain reaction and gene sequencing.
The cat made a full recovery.
Source: Yager, Julie A., Hutchison, Lisa & Barrett, John W. (2006): Raccoonpox in a Canadian cat. In: Veterinary Dermatology 17 (6), 443-448
|
Tell a friend
|
Print version
|
Send this article
|
