Isolation, identification and characterization of camelpox virus in Iraq

A virus was isolated from pox-like lesions in camels during an outbreak of camelpox disease which occurred in December 1977 in an area near the Iraqi-Iranian border. It was identified serologically as a virus of the Orthopoxvirus group. The biological properties of the isolate indicated that it was probably identical with strains of camelpox virus isolated from Iran, Egypt, Kenya and the U.S.S.R.