Research Communications of the 27(th) ECVIM-CA Congress: Intercontinental, Saint Julian's, Malta, 14th to 16th September 2017

Disclosures: No disclosures to report. Orthopoxvirus (OPXV) is a genus of the family Poxviridae, subfamily Chordopoxvirinae, that includes several viruses infecting humans and animals. Among these are Ectromelia virus (ECTV), which infects only mice, and Cowpox virus (CPXV), which recognizes wild rodents as reservoirs, while several species, including humans and cats, are considered incidental hosts. Here, we report a case of lethal infection in a cat that was caused by a putative novel OPXV displaying an intermediate position between CPXV and ECTV at the genomic level. The cat, a European 6-month-old male, was presented with wide alopecic and erythematous areas on the face and paws. After few days the skin lesions spread to other areas of the body and ulcers appeared on the tongue and palate. After the diagnosis of OPXV infection, the cat was treated with antivirals (famciclovir and subsequently aciclovir), but after an initial improvement the animal rapidly worsened and was euthanized.