U.S. agency warns of skin lesions from goats, sheep
People can contract skin lesions from goats and sheep infected with the Orf virus through household meat preparation or when slaughtering the animals, a federal agency said on Thursday in a report aimed at doctors in ethnically diverse communities.
The Orf virus - sometimes misdiagnosed as a more serious disease such as anthrax - is most commonly transmitted to humans on farms. It has also been reported in children who visited petting zoos and livestock fairs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
But the CDC said people could also contract Orf by preparing infected sheep or goat meat for household use or when slaughtering the animals, and detailed four such cases in the report.
“In ethnically diverse communities, health-care providers might be unaware of patients having this type of animal contact and of the seasonal increases in contact associated with religious events,” the report said.
“The popularity of hobby farming and home butchering also increases opportunities for household Orf exposures.”
The report said that in 2010, a 42-year old man in Massachusetts assisted in a lamb sacrifice for the Muslim feast holiday Eid al-Adha, holding the animal’s head with his left hand. Five days later, a small lesion appeared on one of the fingers of his left hand.
What is “sore mouth” (contagious ecthyma, orf)?
“Sore mouth,” also known as “scabby mouth,” or contagious ecthyma, is a viral infection caused by a member of the poxvirus group and is an infection primarily of sheep and goats.
Geographically, “sore mouth” infection is commonly found throughout the world. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (USDA APHIS NAHMS) 2001 sheep survey, 40 percent of U.S. operations reported sore mouth infecting their flocks in the previous three years.
What are the clinical signs for sore mouth?
Early in the infection sores appear as blisters and then become crusty scabs.
Sores are typically found on the lips, muzzle, and in the mouth (see photos below).
Sheep and goats may get similar sores/scabs on the lower legs and the teats, especially when ewes or does are nursing infected lambs or kids.
Except in rare cases, animals recover completely from sore mouth infections within a month.
Young animals may have difficulty nursing/feeding and may require bottle or tube feeding. Nursing ewes may abandon their lambs, and older animals may also require nutritional support.
Particular breeds (e.g. Boer goats) may be especially susceptible and have severe infections.
In another case, a 35-year-old man of Ethiopian descent cut his left thumb with a knife while slaughtering a lamb as part of Easter festivities and later suffered a thumb lesion.
Orf lesions often heal within a few weeks, CDC veterinarian Danielle Tack told Reuters. Doctors, particularly in urban areas, can sometimes misdiagnose Orf, she said.
(Editing By Cynthia Johnston and Eric Walsh)
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By David Beasley
ATLANTA