Cowpox Virus Transmission from Pet Rats to Humans, France

Abstract

In early 2009, four human cases of cowpox virus cutaneous infection in northern France, resulting from direct contact with infected pet rats (Rattus norvegicus), were studied. Pet rats, originating from the same pet store, were shown to be infected by a unique virus strain. Infection was then transmitted to humans who purchased or had contact with pet rats.

Clinical Course and Pathology in Rats (Rattus norvegicus) After Experimental Cowpox Virus Infection by Percutaneous and Intranasal Application

“…Remarkably, after natural infection in pet rats, a variety of outcomes, including subclinical infection, skin lesions, respiratory signs, and fatal disease, were observed. 1,6,14,18 This indicates that, for the outcome of the disease, several factors could be relevant. These include the virus strain and dose, the infection route, the rat species, a preexisting illness, or immunodeficiency.…”

“…Affected owners frequently developed fever when skin lesions were in the pustular stage, as well as associated regional lymphangitis and lymphadenopathy. 1,6,18 In natural infection of white rats with CPXV, 3 different clinical patterns were described in the USSR in 1978: a peracute pulmonary form, a milder dermal form, and a mixed form. 14 The pulmonary form was characterized by dyspnea, loss of appetite, and flaccidity and ended lethally within 4 days after onset of clinical signs.…”

Cowpox virus infection from pet rat

“…There is a report about 4 patients with cowpox infections form pet rats in 2008 and 2009 from France. Affection of skin, eyes and mucous membranes with coughing, lymphadenopathy, fever and general malaise were observed [5]. In 2008, in the region of Krefeld, Germany, six patients were affected with one case of severe eye involvement and another case with pulmonary infections [6].…”

“…The largest case review is based on 54 cases investigated from 1969-1993 [4]. Smaller outbreaks have been reported after turn of the century from France and Germany caused by transmission from pets [5][6][7].…”

Live Antivariolic Vaccines

“…как следствие, к настоящему времени человеческая популяция практически не имеет коллективного про-тивооспенного иммунитета и является беззащитной не только перед возможным инфицированием други-ми близкородственными ортопоксвирусами, такими как вирусы оспы обезьян (воо) или оспы коров, природным резервуаром которых являются мелкие грызуны, но и перед заражением вно в результате теракта или возникновения вируса в природе путем эволюции зоонозных ортопоксвирусов [39,40]. в последние годы отмечается увеличение числа заре-гистрированных случаев заболевания людей оспой коров [6,7,10,18,22,32], вакциноподобным заболе-ванием [4, 42 ,47, 50] и оспой обезьян [24,33,37,38]. вакцинопрофилактика остается единственным эф-фективным инструментом сдерживания возрастаю-щей угрозы ортопоксвирусных инфекций человека.…”