CHARACTERISTICS OF 4 COWPOX VIRUS ISOLATES FROM NORWAY AND SWEDEN

We report the first isolation of cowpox virus from a domestic cat in N orway, and the first confirmed isolation of cowpox virus from a human case in Norway. These two Norwegian cowpox virus isolates, as well as two Swedish human isolates, were partially characterized and compared with each other and with cowpox virus Brighten and vaccinia virus stra in Western Reserve. Restriction enzyme analysis of the genomes reveale d differences between all six viruses examined, but suggested that the two Norwegian isolates are closely related, as are the two Swedish is olates. Restriction endonuclease digestion of genomic DNA demonstrated that one of the Swedish isolates and the two Norwegian isolates have larger genomes than vaccinia virus strain Western Reserve, but smaller than cowpox Brighten. All four Scandinavian isolates lacked a 72 base -pair region within the A-type inclusion body protein gene which is pr esent in the prototype cowpox virus Brighten.