Seasonal recurrence of cowpox virus outbreaks in captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Stagegaard, Julia; Kurth, Andreas; Stern, Daniel; Dabrowski, Piotr Wojciech; Pocknell, Ann; Nitsche, Andreas; Schrick, Livia

Cluster 2-2011 (Top Cut). After the first outbreak in the park, the second one occurred at the farm (Fig 1, enclosure B1 ) in August 2011, in a family group consisting of a breeding female (Aduke) and two male (Top Cut, Clyde) and one female offspring (Bonnie). The index patient, a 7-month-old male (Top Cut), presented with a poorly healing wound on the front paw. Upon clinical examination of the cheetah under general anesthesia, multiple papular dermal nodules were noticed on the entire body, and poxvirus infection was suspected. Despite antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatment (initially 8 mg/kg cefovecin i.m. once, from day 2 clindamycin 11 mg/kg BID p.o., and meloxicam 0.05 mg/kg SID p.o.), the animal died 19 days after the disease was first noticed. Only one of its two siblings (Clyde) developed an ulcer on the tongue on day 14, the other sibling (Bonnie) and the dam did not show any signs of infection at all. The animals remained together in their enclosure throughout the disease process.