Virological investigations of specimens from buffaloes affected by buffalopox in Maharashtra State, India between 1985 and 1987

Abstract

Isolates of poxviruses were made from thirteen of eighteen specimens of scabs taken from pox lesions on buffaloes in five different districts of Maharashtra State, India, between December, 1985 and February, 1987. The biological characters of twelve of the isolates resembled those of the Hissar strain of buffalopox virus; the thirteenth isolate appeared to be vaccinia. The Hin dIII restriction profiles of DNA from all 13 isolates and from the Hissar strain were typical of those given by vaccinia strains. DNA from all twelve Maharashtra buffalopox (BPV) isolates gave identical profiles with each of three additional endonucleases; these viruses appear to be repeated isolations of a single strain of BPV. The DNA profile of this strain was not the same as that of the Hissar strain of BPV and both could readily be distinguished from each of the three strains of vaccinia virus which had been used in India. The thirteenth Maharashtra isolate was indistinguishable from vaccinia in its biological properties, but the restriction profile of its DNA differed from those of three vaccinia strains and the BPV isolates. These observations, made 6-8 years after cessation of smallpox vaccination indicate that BPV is an emerging enzootic virus and is a subspecies of vaccinia virus.

Emergence and Reemergence of Vaccinia-Like Viruses: Global Scenario and Perspectives

“…Buffalopox, is being reported continuously from India [33], which is primarily a disease of buffaloes caused by BPXV [44], a subspecies of VAVC-that causes localized lesions in milking buffalo, dairy cattle and oropharyngeal lesions (drinking unpasteurized milk) in humans [9,11]. Buffalopox is an important zoonosis.…”

Detection of human orthopoxvirus infections and differentiation of smallpox virus with real‐time PCR

“…In Europe, only cowpox virus is known to circulate in the nature and to cause human infections. However, laboratory and vaccine use of vaccinia virus [Lewis et al, 2006] including recombinant vaccine viruses used, for example, for wildlife rabies vaccination [Rupprecht et al, 2001] has also caused human infections and/or complications and vaccinia virus has escaped to natural reservoirs on several occasions [Dumbell and Richardson, 1993;Damaso et al, 2000;de Souza Trindade et al, 2003]. Moreover, imported OPVs are always a possibility as seen during the emergence of monkeypox virus in the USA in 2003 [Anonymous, 2003;Reed et al, 2004].…”

When good vaccines go wild: Feral Orthopoxvirus in developing countries and beyond

“…In India, outbreaks of buffalopox in the Maharashtra State were reported from 1985 to 1987 [88]; from 1992 to 1996 [89]; and in 2003 [90]. The Hind III restriction profile of the DNA from thirteen buffalo isolates showed that one was clearly similar to vaccinia virus and the other twelve were undistinguished from each other.…”

“…The Hind III restriction profile of the DNA from thirteen buffalo isolates showed that one was clearly similar to vaccinia virus and the other twelve were undistinguished from each other. The twelve isolates showed some biological characteristics of the Hissar strain of buffalopox virus, but they had detectable differences in their DNA profiles [88]. In the 1990s, twenty-two virus samples were isolated after an outbreak of buffalopox in humans and buffalo.…”

“…During the first decade after the worldwide eradication of smallpox, there were reports on outbreaks of buffalopox in India [57,[88][89][90][91], monkeypox in Africa [92][93][94], and cowpox in Europe [95][96][97][98]. In Kuwait, a poxvirus was isolated from a skin lesion on Rattus norvegicus and the tests indicated that it was a hemorrhagic poxvirus [99].…”