Virus Laboratory, Brest, France

    To the long list of bovine viruses cited in this paper, it seems necessary to add another, the pseudocowpox virus, a widespread parapoxvirus that may infect humans. During the 1960s, this virus was identified in vaccine lymph from a heifer at the Institut Pasteur, Paris (3).

    In humans, this virus is responsible for limited skin lesions, more frequently in immunocompromised patients. Mainly farmers and butchers are affected. Pseudocowpox virus is easily differentiated from orthopoxviruses such as vaccinia virus by the virus's peculiar form on transmission electron microscopy scan, but polymerase chain reaction is probably the best detection method (4). In fact, many other more hazardous viruses may be found in the oldest stocks of smallpox vaccine and deserve more attention than previously considered.

    References

    Murphy FA, Osburn BI. Adventitious agents in smallpox vaccine in strategic national stockpile. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:1086–9.

    Arness MK, Eckart RE, Love SS, Atwood JE, Wells TS, Engler RJ, et al. Myopericarditis following smallpox vaccination. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;160:642–51.

    Pournaki R, Vieuchange J, Lepine P, Fasquelle R. Isolement d'un virus distinct du virus vaccinal au cours de passages d'une lymphe vaccinale de genisse. Ann Inst Pasteur. 1964;107:173–83.

    Inoshima Y, Morooka A, Sentsui H. Detection and diagnosis of parapoxvirus by the polymerase chain reaction. J Virol Methods. 2000;84:201–8.

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《传染病的形成》2005年11月第11卷第11期