Detection of Vaccinia virus in blood and faeces of experimentally infected cows

Bovine vaccinia (BV), a zoonosis caused by Vaccinia virus (VACV), affects dairy cattle and milkers, causing economic, veterinary and human health impacts. Despite such impacts, there are no experimental studies about the pathogenesis of BV in cows to assess whether there is a systemic spread of the virus and whether there are different ways of VACV shedding. Trying to answer some of these questions, a study was proposed using experimental inoculation of VACV in cows. All experimentally infected cows developed lesions compatible with VACV infection in cattle. Two of the six animals presented VACV DNA in blood and faecal samples, starting at the 2nd and the 3rd day post-infection (d.p.i.), respectively, and lasting until the 36th d.p.i., in an intermittent way. This study provides new evidence that VACV can be detected in blood and faeces of infected cows, suggesting that BV could be a systemic disease, and also bringing new information about the epidemiology and pathogenesis of BV.