Berlin Squirrelpox Virus, a New Poxvirus in Red Squirrels, Berlin, Germany

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 23; no. 10; pp. 1726 - 1729
• Main Authors: Wibbelt, Gudrun, Tausch, Simon H., Dabrowski, Piotr W., Kershaw, Olivia, Nitsche, Andreas, Schrick, Livia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.10.2017; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Animals; Berlin; Berlin - epidemiology; Berlin Squirrelpox Virus, a New Poxvirus in Red Squirrels, Berlin, Germany; Dispatch; DNA, Viral - genetics; Founder Effect; Genome, Viral; Genomes; Genomics; Germany; Health aspects; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; Infection; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poxviridae - classification; Poxviridae - genetics; Poxviridae - isolation & purification; Poxviridae Infections - epidemiology; Poxviridae Infections - veterinary; Poxviridae Infections - virology; poxvirus; Sciuridae; Sciuridae - virology; Skin; Skin - pathology; Skin - virology; squirrel; squirrelpox; United Kingdom; Germany; squirrel; viruses; dermatitis; Sciuridae; Sciurus vulgaris; Berlin; Berlin squirrelpox virus; poxvirus; skin disease; squirrelpox; red squirrels; Germany
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2310.171008

Near Berlin, Germany, several juvenile red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) were found with moist, crusty skin lesions. Histology, electron microscopy, and cell culture isolation revealed an orthopoxvirus-like infection. Subsequent PCR and genome analysis identified a new poxvirus (Berlin squirrelpox virus) that could not be assigned to any known poxvirus genera.