Fatal Outbreak in Tonkean Macaques Caused by Possibly Novel Orthopoxvirus, Italy, January 20151

Abstract

In January 2015, during a 3-week period, 12 captive Tonkean macacques at a sanctuary in Italy died. An orthopoxvirus infection was suspected because of negative-staining electron microscopy results. The diagnosis was confirmed by histology, virus isolation, and molecular analysis performed on different organs from all animals. An epidemiologic investigation was unable to define the infection source in the surrounding area. Trapped rodents were negative by virologic testing, but specific IgG was detected in 27.27% of small rodents and 14.28% of rats. An attenuated live vaccine was administered to the susceptible monkey population, and no adverse reactions were observed; a detectable humoral immune response was induced in most of the vaccinated animals. We performed molecular characterization of the orthopoxvirus isolate by next-generation sequencing. According to the phylogenetic analysis of the 9 conserved genes, the virus could be part of a novel clade, lying between cowpox and ectromelia viruses.

Occupational transmission of an Orthopoxvirus infection during an outbreak in a colony of Macaca tonkeana in Lazio Region, Italy, 2015

“…In January 2015, an outbreak due to an OPV, probably part of a novel clade lying between Cowpox and Ectromelia viruses, occurred in a colony of Macaca tonkeana in a private nature reserve in the province of Rieti, Lazio Region. Details about diagnostic procedures and phylogenic characterization are described elsewhere (Cardeti et al., ).…”

“…Data about lethality among Macaca were not reported in that study; thus, it is not possible to compare the two outbreaks. In the Italian outbreak among Macaca tonkeana , the clinical attack rate among animals was 89%, and lethality 67% (Cardeti et al., ).…”

Metagenomics revealing new virus species in farm and pet animals and aquaculture

“…More recently, a cat with multicentric nodular ulcerative dermatitis was found positive for OPXV . The virus differed from cowpoxes common in cats and was grouped with an OPXV strain identified from captive macaques in Italy (Cardeti et al, 2017), related to ectromelia viruses (Chen et al, 2003;Mendez-Rios et al, 2012;Mavian et al, 2014).…”

Field Trial Vaccination against Cowpox in Two Alpaca Herds

“…The MVA-based vaccine is also used to protect animals from CPXV-induced disease and has been primarily described in elephants [25,31] but also in mice, domestic cats, rabbits and other zoo animals [9,25,[32][33][34]. By German law, this vaccine requires a special exemption issued by the appropriate Ministries of the Federal States.…”