CLINICAL COWPOX CASES IN NORWAY

In 1994, a human and a feline case of cowpox virus infection appeared in the western part of Norway. Cowpox has not been diagnosed with cert ainty in Norway since the beginning of this century, when it was assoc iated with the use of cowpox virus as a vaccine against smallpox. The human infection manifested as a spontaneously emerged, severe ulcerati on at the medial angle of the right eye in a 37-y-old woman, and devel oped into a relatively severe dermatitis. The ulcer healed slowly, lea ving a scar. The feline infection was represented by a febrile, dehydr ated and anorectic 6-months-old non-pedigree short-hair, with crater-l ike ulcers all over the body. After antibiotic and fluid therapy, revi sion of the skin lesions and amputation of a gangrenous toe, the cat r ecovered. Electron microscopy of the isolates and cultivation of virus on chorioallantoic membrane of chicken embryos confirmed the suspicio n of cowpox virus infection.