Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link Skip directly to A-Z link
Volume 19, Number 1—January 2013
News and Notes

Etymologia: Orf

Cite This Article

Orf [orf]

Origins of the term are unclear, but some sources (the Oxford English Dictionary, Webster’s) derive it from Old Norse hrūfa (“crust on a wound, scab”). Another source (Stedman’s) derives it from the Old English orfcwealm (“murrain, any infectious disease of livestock”), from orf (“cattle”) + cwealm (“destruction”). Paradoxically, although “orf” may trace its origin to a word meaning “cattle, orf does not naturally infect cattle.

Orf (contagious ecthyma) is an exanthematous infectious disease caused by a parapoxvirus that occurs primarily in sheep and goats but can be spread to humans through contact with an infected animal or fomites. Although most human cases are associated with occupational exposure to sheep or goats, cases have recently been reported in persons who were infected through household meat preparation or ritual sacrifice.

 Length: 1:04

Top

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human orf virus infection from household exposures—United States, 2009–2011. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61:2458 .PubMedGoogle Scholar
  2. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford (UK): Oxford University Press; 2012.
  3. Stedman’s Medical Dictionary. 27th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2000.
  4. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary. Unabridged. Springfield (MA): G & C Mirriam Co.; 1961.
  5. White  DO, Fenner  FJ. Medical virology. 4th ed. San Diego: Academic Press; 1994.

Top

Cite This Article

DOI: 10.3201/eid1901.et1901

Table of Contents – Volume 19, Number 1—January 2013

EID Search Options
presentation_01 Advanced Article Search – Search articles by author and/or keyword.
presentation_01 Articles by Country Search – Search articles by the topic country.
presentation_01 Article Type Search – Search articles by article type and issue.

Top

Page created: December 20, 2012
Page updated: May 04, 2017
Page reviewed: May 04, 2017
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
file_external