Diagnosis of Deerpox virus infection in a white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawn

Abstract

A 3-month-old fawn from a group of 12 captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) displaying cutaneous lesions was presented to the Mississippi Veterinary Research & Diagnostic Laboratory for necropsy. Postmortem examination identified multiple discrete, round, alopecic, flat, proliferative dermal lesions scattered along the skin of the lips, muzzle, pinna, ventral thorax, medial limbs, and most notably the abdomen. Multiple ulcers were present on the commissures of the lips, dorsal surface of the tongue, and left caudal buccal surface of the oral cavity. The abdomen was filled with fibrinopurulent exudate and ruminal contents. Multiple to coalescing transmural ulcers were identified in the rumen. Histopathological evaluation of the skin revealed markedly thickened epidermis and focal areas of superficial dermal fibrosis, intracytoplasmic, eosinophilic inclusions in swollen keratinocytes and lymphocytic and plasmacytic perivascular dermatitis. The rumen ulcers were surrounded with necrotic cellular debris mixed with fibrin, bacteria, hemorrhages, and a collection of mixed inflammatory cells. Some swollen ruminal mucosal epithelia had eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusions. Poxvirus was isolated from the skin and rumen tissue specimens. Electron microscopy detected viral particles with poxvirus morphology. Polymerase chain reaction assays detected A21, a gene conserved within family Poxviridae, in the skin and rumen tissues. Phylogenic analysis of the A21 sequences indicated that the viral isolate (M10-9055) was closely related to known members of genus Cervidpoxvirus. In conclusion, findings indicate that Deerpox virus can produce extensive lesions in white-tailed deer.

Epitheliotropic Infections in Wildlife Ruminants From the Central Alps and Stelvio National Park

“…The viruses belonging to the genus Deerpoxvirus (DPV) are responsible for non-parapoxviruslike infections in the members of two subfamilies of cervids, American deer (Odocoileinae) and reindeer (Rangiferinae). These viruses, resembling orthopoxviruses in shape, have been reported in North America in wild mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in Wyoming (2), black-tailed deer (O. h. columbianus) (3) and pudu (Pudu puda) (4) in California, in wild cervid species in the Northwest Pacific (5), in farmed white-tailed deer in Mississipi (6) and in a goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) (7). The first genome sequence of Mule Deerpoxvirus (MDPV), from a farmed white-tailed deer fawn in Florida, has been recently published by Sayler et al (8).…”

Putative parapoxvirus-associated foot disease in the endangered huemul deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus) in Bernardo O’Higgins National Park, Chile

“…The exception is disease caused by ORF virus in sheep and goats [57, 59, 68], semi-domesticated reindeer [60] and camels [58]. In cervids, most reports describe nonparapox or orthopox-like viruses in skin lesions of reindeer, mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus hemionus ), black-tailed deer ( Odocoileus hemionus colombianus ), pudu ( Pudu puda ), and gazelle ( Gazella subgutturosa ) [69–74].…”

Serosurvey for Antibody to Deerpox Virus in Five Cervid Species in Oregon, USA

“…An experimental study gave mixed results regarding DPV virulence; some animals developed only locally extensive and self-limiting lesions with minimal evidence of systemic effects, but one fawn developed a fulminate ulcerative mucocutaneous disease (Bildfell et al, 2010) similar to that originally described (Williams et al, 1985). A recently described DPV disease outbreak in captive WTD also caused death with extensive mucosal lesions in one fawn but only mild skin lesions in other exposed animals (Baughman et al, 2011). Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in a captive setting developed a low level of DPV-related clinical disease, mostly keratoconjunctivitis (Barker et al, 1980).…”

“…Documented examples of natural poxvirus infections of cervids include various parapox viruses (Falk, 1978;Horner et al, 1987;Roess et al, 2010) as well as deerpox virus (DPV) of the recently recognized genus Cervidpoxvirus, family Poxviridae (Afonso et al, 2005). Deerpox virus infection has been reported as a cause of clinical disease in free-ranging (Williams et al, 1985;Moredyk-Schauwecker et al, 2009) and captive cervids (Barker et al, 1980;Baughman et al, 2011). Fatalities due to DPV infection, as well as the nonfatal DPV-related localized ulcerative dermatitis condition ''raw neck'' (MoredykSchauwecker et al, 2009), have only rarely been diagnosed in Odocoileus spp.…”