Pseudocowpox virus infection in an American bison (Bison bison)

Abstract

Background: The present report describes a case of pseudocowpox virus (PCPV) infection in a seven-year-old female bison euthanized due to a history of declining condition and sores on the vulva and udder. Case presentation: External examination revealed multifocal, raised, keratinized plaques (0.5-2 cm) covering the skin of the ventral surface of the tail, perineum, caudoventral abdomen, udder, both inguinal recesses, and the medial aspects of both thighs. No significant gross lesions were present in the reminder of the tissues examined. Histopathological examination of the affected skin showed moderate epidermal hyperplasia with rete pegs, marked parakeratotic hyperkeratosis with crusts of degenerate neutrophils and cell debris, and few epithelial cells undergoing ballooning degeneration with occasional eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies (3-5 μm Bollinger body). Negative staining electron microscopy from skin revealed typical Parapoxvirus (PPV) particles, which were also confirmed by real-time PCR (Ct =18.6). Metagenomic analysis of the skin samples revealed only poxviruses. The bison parapox B2L envelope gene clustered with other parapox sequences identified from ruminants. Conclusions: This is the first report of PCPV virus infection in an American bison. Identification of novel susceptible hosts of parapox viruses sheds light on the viral evolution and highlights the importance of potential economic impact of this disease to the bison industry.

Description of Zoonotic Pseudocowpoxvirus Infection of Cattle in Russia

“…Molecular genetic analysis revealed that the causative agent of the disease in animals was pseudocowpox virus [ 3 , 35 ].…”

Monkeypox and other zoonotic poxviruses

“…Pseudocowpox virus is detected in cattle, American bison, water buffalo, camels, and cats (3,58,101,172). Some tick species that are collected from cattle are found to be positive for pseudocowpox virus by PCR, indicating that ticks can play a role in pseudocowpox virus epidemiology (35,141).…”

“…In experimental infection, hyperemic foci, ulceration, fibrinotic and scabby lesions were observed on the muzzle and lips of calves (54). Pseudocowpox virus infection is exhibited as multiple cutaneous nodules on the skin which are wart-like, proliferative, and keratinized in an American bison (172). In water buffalos, pseudocowpox symptoms are peeling of the tongue epithelium and oral ulcers (101).…”

Parapoxvirus species revisited by whole genome sequencing: A retrospective analysis of bovine virus isolates

“…Other genuine PPV have been found in wildlife ruminants leading to the fourth established species, PPV of red deer ( Friederichs et al, 2015 ; Robinson and Mercer, 1995 ). In addition, PPV infections were described in reindeer, bison, muskox, Bactrian and dromedary camel and in marine mammals ( Dalton et al, 2023 ; Hautaniemi et al, 2010 ; Khalafalla, 2021 ; Shivanna et al, 2020 ). The latter are proposed as PPV species of pinnipeds ( Badr et al, 2022 ; Costa et al, 2021 ; Günther et al, 2017 ).…”