Premium
Ecthyma contagiosum (orf) – report of a human case from the United Arab Emirates and review of the literature
Author(s) -
AlSalam Suhail,
Nowotny Norbert,
Sohail Mohammed Rizwan,
Kolodziejek Jolanta,
Berger Thomas G.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of cutaneous pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1600-0560
pISSN - 0303-6987
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0560.2007.00857.x
Subject(s) - virus , virology , polymerase chain reaction , erythema , amplicon , medicine , zoonosis , transmission (telecommunications) , biology , dermatology , pathology , genetics , gene , electrical engineering , engineering
Background: Ecthyma contagiosum (orf) is caused by an epitheliotropic parapox virus. It is a zoonosis usually transmitted to humans from affected sheep or goat through direct contact or contaminated fomites. Methods: We report a 36‐year‐old patient with multiple skin lesions on his left hand, first observed 5 days before admission followed by red streaks on the forearm and an erythema on the upper arm 1 day prior to admission. The patient reported that he was working on a sheep farm. Results: Histopathologic examination showed evidence of a viral infection. Subsequent transmission electron microscopy showed typical parapox virus particles, predominantly in the scaled‐off layers of degenerated keratinocytes and monocytes. The results were verified and specified by two newly established polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and subsequent sequencing of the amplicons: one broadly reacting ‘general parapox virus PCR’, and one assay which allows – following sequencing – discrimination between individual orf virus strains. Conclusion: Despite the multiplicity of the lesions, there was a significant improvement after 2 weeks of treatment. Sequencing showed the uniqueness of this virus compared with previously published strains from other countries.