Capripox

Capripox is an acute, febrile, contact infectious disease caused by capripoxviruses. Capripoxviruses are an important poxvirus in animals, which belongs to the Poxviridae family, including sheep pox virus (SPPV), goat pox virus (GTPV), and lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV). Capripox can cause relevant livestock products to fail to export, causing significant economic losses. Developing diagnostics, prevention, and other research related to this disease remains a top priority for BioVenic.

Etiology of Capripox

Sheeppox, goatpox, and bovine nodular rash (lumpy skin disease) have cross-protection. The majority of strains cause severe clinical symptoms and are species-specific; some strains are susceptible to both sheep and goats. The pathogen is unstable to acid and resistant to dryness. It is reported in the literature that the virus can survive for at least 3 months in dander and scab, and may survive for several years in dry scab.

Fig. 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of poxvirus.¹

• Transmission Mode
  The disease is mostly transmitted by direct contact with animals or indirect contact with pollution. The virus can be transmitted by droplets, through mechanical bites of insects, or direct contact with virus-containing skin, secretions, feces, or inhalation of virus-containing dust.
• Morbidity and Mortality
  Morbidity varies greatly, with mortality often ranging from 10% to 50%. All ages are affected, but mortality occurs mainly in young lambs. One of the most serious infectious diseases that poses a threat to the sheep industry is sheeppox, which has the potential to cause the death of all lambs affected by it.
• Disease Level
  Sheeppox is currently listed as a class A disease that must be notified by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
• Public Health
  This disease is not a zoonotic infectious disease.
• Sensitive Animals
  Sheep, goats, cattle.
• Incubation Period
  2-3 days for artificial infection, 8-13 days for natural infection, up to 21 days.
• Prognosis
  The mortality rate of lambs is high. The peak period of mortality is about 2 weeks after the onset of systemic lesions. If it occurs in a new outbreak area, the mortality rate can be as high as 100%; if the disease has become an endemic disease, the mortality rate has a great relationship with the breeding and management of the farm.

Epidemiology of Capripox

Capripox is popular in many countries, especially in Asia and Africa where sheep, goats, and cattle are raised. Outbreaks of capripox can result in major losses in terms of reduced productivity, morbidity, and mortality in infected animals.

Signs and Symptoms of Capripox

The disease is characterized by specific pox eruptions on the skin and mucous membranes of sheep. The course of capripox is generally erythema and papule at the beginning, then turns into blisters and pustules, and finally scabs, falls off, and recovers.

In typical cases, body temperature rises to 40-42℃. The eyes and nose have serious, viscous, or purulent secretions. Erythema, papules, or hemispherical raised nodules appear on the eyes, lips, nose, cheeks, breasts, external genitalia, under the tail, and on the inside of the legs. Within a few days, it turns into blisters with clear yellow liquid inside, and the center is sunken in an umbilicus shape and turns into pustules after 2-3 days. The pharynx and bronchial mucosa also have pox and ulcers, which affect the sheep's chewing and swallowing. In some atypical cases, hemorrhage forms black pimples, suppuration, and gangrene, which are mostly malignant.

Fig. 2 Typical symptoms of capripox.²

Diagnosis of Capripox

Diagnosis of capripox is usually based on clinical symptoms, histopathological examination of skin lesions, and laboratory tests. BioVenic offers customers a wide range of laboratory diagnostic solutions to confirm the presence of capripox virus and differentiate it from other similar diseases, including,

• Pathogen Identification
  
  • Virus isolation
  • ELISA
  • PCR, etc.
• Immune Response Detection
  
  • Virus Neutralization Assay
  • Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA)
  • Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH), etc.

Treatment of Capripox

Currently, there is no specific antiviral treatment for capripox. If the disease is detected in non-endemic countries, a culling policy is recommended. In areas where capripox is endemic, symptomatic and supportive treatment, as well as antibiotics to prevent secondary bacterial infections, are recommended.

Control and Prevention of Capripox

• When an animal suspected of suffering from this disease is found, it should be reported to the animal epidemic prevention department immediately.
• The removal of animals or livestock products from infected farms is strictly prohibited.
• Animal carcasses after culling should be disposed of by burning or burying.
• After the infected area is cleared, it should be thoroughly disinfected and animal activities should be stopped.
• In endemic areas, vaccination is a key measure for the control and prevention of capripox. Live attenuated or inactivated vaccines can be used in immune-susceptible animals. It is currently recommended that 1 dose of the capripox vaccine be given to healthy unvaccinated sheep over 3 months of age. Thereafter, additional injections will be given once a year. Adult sheep and ewes during the emptying period, one dose per year.

In the fight against capripox, BioVenic, a leading company in the biotechnology industry with years of experience, is committed to contributing to the control and prevention of this disease. BioVenic focuses on research and development to provide innovative solutions, including advanced vaccines and diagnostics methods and tools for rapid detection of capripoxviruses. If you are interested in this, please feel free to contact us.

References

1. Ratyotha, Kanokwan, et al. "Lumpy skin disease: A newly emerging disease in Southeast Asia." Veterinary World 15.12 (2022): 2764.
2. Gelaye, Esayas, et al. "Capripox disease in Ethiopia: Genetic differences between field isolates and vaccine strain, and implications for vaccination failure." Antiviral Research 119 (2015): 28-35.