Cowpox in British voles and mice

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Wildlife Disease Ecology

Background:

• Serosurveys suggest bank voles, field voles, and woodmice are potential reservoir hosts for cowpox virus in Western Europe.
• Direct isolation of cowpox virus from these wild rodent species has not yet been achieved.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally assess the susceptibility of bank voles, field voles, woodmice, and laboratory mice to cowpox virus.
• To provide foundational data for future pathogenesis and transmission studies of cowpox virus in these species.

Main Methods:

• Small mammals were inoculated with varying doses of cowpox virus via intradermal, subcutaneous, oral, and nasal routes.
• Susceptibility was determined by clinical signs and virus recovery from inoculation sites.
• Bank voles were also tested for susceptibility to ectromelia virus.

Main Results:

• Bank voles, field voles, and woodmice were susceptible to cowpox virus via intradermal/subcutaneous inoculation.
• Bank and field voles, but not lab mice, were susceptible to oral/nasal cowpox virus inoculation.
• Clinical signs were minimal, with virus primarily recovered from inoculation sites.
• Bank voles showed no susceptibility to ectromelia virus via skin injection.

Conclusions:

• Experimental evidence supports the susceptibility of bank voles, field voles, and woodmice to cowpox virus.
• Findings strengthen the hypothesis that orthopoxvirus antibodies in British wild voles and woodmice signify cowpox virus infection.
• Further research into cowpox pathogenesis in these species is crucial for understanding disease epidemiology.