TY - JOUR AU - Tryland, Morten AU - Okeke, Malachy Ifeanyi AU - af Segerstad, Carl Hård AU - Mörner, Torsten AU - Traavik, Terje AU - Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre T1 - Orthopoxvirus DNA in Eurasian Lynx, Sweden T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2011 VL - 17 IS - 4 SP - 626 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Cowpox virus, which has been used to protect humans against smallpox but may cause severe disease in immunocompromised persons, has reemerged in humans, domestic cats, and other animal species in Europe. Orthopoxvirus (OPV) DNA was detected in tissues (lung, kidney, spleen) in 24 (9%) of 263 free-ranging Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) from Sweden. Thymidine kinase gene amplicon sequences (339 bp) from 21 lynx were all identical to those from cowpox virus isolated from a person in Norway and phylogenetically closer to monkeypox virus than to vaccinia virus and isolates from 2 persons with cowpox virus in Sweden. Prevalence was higher among animals from regions with dense, rather than rural, human populations. Lynx are probably exposed to OPV through predation on small mammal reservoir species. We conclude that OPV is widely distributed in Sweden and may represent a threat to humans. Further studies are needed to verify whether this lynx OPV is cowpox virus. KW - Cowpox virus KW - epidemiology KW - orthopoxvirus KW - wildlife KW - zoonosis KW - viruses KW - lynx KW - research KW - Sweden DO - 10.3201/eid1704.091899 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/17/4/09-1899_article ER - End of Reference