Buffalopox: an emerging and re-emerging zoonosis

Abstract

Outbreaks of buffalopox or pox-like infections affecting buffaloes, cows and humans have been recorded in many parts of the world. Since the first outbreak in India, a large number of epidemics have occurred. Unlike in the previous years, generalized forms of the disease are now rare; however, there are severe local forms of the disease affecting the udder and teats, leading to mastitis thereby undermining the productivity of milk animals. The causative agent buffalopox virus (BPXV) is a member of the Orthopoxvirus, and is closely related to Vaccinia virus (VACV), the type-species of the genus. Earlier studies with restriction fragment length polymorphism and recent investigations involving sequencing of the genes that are essential in viral pathogenesis have shown that BPXV is phylogenetically very closely related to VACV and may be considered as a clade of the latter. The review discusses the epidemiology, novel diagnostic methods for the disease, and molecular biology of the virus, and infers genetic relationships of BPXV with other members of the genus.

Vacated niches, competitive release and the community ecology of pathogen eradication

“…First, remaining within the orthopoxviruses, reports of other zoonoses such as cowpox and buffalopox have also risen in the aftermath of smallpox eradication [59][60][61]. The data are less systematic, so quantitative comparisons are challenging, but these patterns are broadly consistent with competitive release arising from the decline of cross-immunity from smallpox and its vaccine.…”

Emergence and Reemergence of Vaccinia-Like Viruses: Global Scenario and Perspectives

“…Many substitutions in the genes that were unique to both BPXV and VACV among all OPXV were identified. Phylogenetic analysis based on structural protein genes including H3L, A27L, D8L [32] and B5R [34] and non structural protein (H4L) homologue genes [35], that are highly conserved across the genus, showed that BPXV is phylogenetically closely related to VACV vaccine strains.…”

“…However, occurrence of human infection caused by VLV has been reported recently from Brazil [25] and India [35]. .…”

When good vaccines go wild: Feral Orthopoxvirus in developing countries and beyond

“…Later, viruses with similar characteristics were re-isolated in different states of India and in other countries, including Pakistan, Egypt, Nepal and Bangladesh [57]. The virus, named buffalopox, infects various animals as well as humans.…”

“…During the first decade after the worldwide eradication of smallpox, there were reports on outbreaks of buffalopox in India [57,[88][89][90][91], monkeypox in Africa [92][93][94], and cowpox in Europe [95][96][97][98]. In Kuwait, a poxvirus was isolated from a skin lesion on Rattus norvegicus and the tests indicated that it was a hemorrhagic poxvirus [99].…”