Atypical Cowpox Virus Infection in Smallpox-Vaccinated Patient, France

Julien Andreani (1, 2) , Jean-Philippe Arnault , Jacques Bou Khalil (1, 2) , Jonatas Abrahao , Enora Tomei (3, 2) , Emeline Vial (2, 4) , Marion Le Bideau (2, 4) , Didier Raoult (1, 2) , Bernard La Scola (1, 2)

1 MEPHI - Microbes évolution phylogénie et infections
2 IHU Marseille - Institut Hospitalier Universitaire Méditerranée Infection
3 VITROME - Vecteurs - Infections tropicales et méditerranéennes
4 APHM - Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Marseille

We report a case of atypical cowpox virus infection in France in 2016. The patient sought care for thoracic lesions after injury from the sharp end of a metallic guardrail previously stored in the ground. We isolated a cowpox virus from the lesions and sequenced its whole genome. The patient reported that he had been previously vaccinated against smallpox. We describe an alternative route of cowpox virus infection and raise questions about the immunological status of smallpox-vaccinated patients for circulating orthopoxviruses.

Domaines: Virologie; Maladies infectieuses

Julien Andreani, Jean-Philippe Arnault, Jacques Bou Khalil, Jonatas Abrahao, Enora Tomei, et al.. Atypical Cowpox Virus Infection in Smallpox-Vaccinated Patient, France. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 2019, 25 (2), pp.212-219. ⟨10.3201/eid2502.171433⟩. ⟨hal-02101495⟩