Emerging Infectious Disease ISSN: 1080-6059

Cowpox Virus Transmission from Pet Rats to Humans, France

Laetitia Ninove, Yves Domart, Christine Vervel, Chrystel Voinot, Nicolas Salez, Didier Raoult, Hermann Meyer, Isabelle Capek, Christine Zandotti, and Remi N. Charrel

Author affiliations: Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France (L. Ninove, N. Salez, D. Raoult, R.N. Charrel); Assistance Publique–Hôpitaux de Marseille Timone, Marseille (L. Ninove, D. Raoult, C. Zandotti, R.N. Charrel); Centre Hospitalier, Compiègne, France (Y. Domart, C. Vervel, C. Voinot); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseille (D. Raoult); Institut für Mikrobiologie der Bundeswehr, Munich, Germany (H. Meyer); Institut de Veille Sanitaire, Saint Maurice, France (I. Capek)

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Figure 1

Cowpox virus infection in 3 persons in northern France caused by transmission from infected pet rats. Cutaneous lesions caused by cowpox virus are shown in patient 1 (A), patient 3 (B) and patient 4 (C, D). The 2 latter patients had lymphangitis associated with the local lesion. Panel C was obtained on January 30, 2009, panel D on February 6, 2009. Negative-staining electron microscopy showed mulberry forms with conspicuous but short, randomly arranged surface tubules (E) and capsule forms with

Figure 1. Cowpox virus infection in 3 persons in northern France caused by transmission from infected pet rats. Cutaneous lesions caused by cowpox virus are shown in patient 1 (A), patient 3 (B) and patient 4 (C, D). The 2 latter patients had lymphangitis associated with the local lesion. Panel C was obtained on January 30, 2009, panel D on February 6, 2009. Negative-staining electron microscopy showed mulberry forms with conspicuous but short, randomly arranged surface tubules (E) and capsule forms with deeper stain penetration (F), both highly suggestive of poxvirus. Scale bar for panels E and F = 100 nm.

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