Farm animals may give their caretakers orf virus

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who come in close contact with sheep and goats risk contracting orf virus from infected animals, U.S. health officials note in a report released this week.

Orf virus disease is an infection of the skin that occurs worldwide -- most commonly among farm workers, sheepherders, and veterinarians. Humans usually acquire the infection by close contact with infected animals. Person to person transmission is rare.

In this week's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. G. Green, from Kaiser Permanente in Santa Rosa, California, and colleagues report four cases of orf skin infections that followed handling of goats and sheep.

In two cases, the animals had sores on their mouths. In three cases, the illnesses described occurred soon after vaccination of the flocks with non-attenuated, live virus preparations. Moreover, three of the patients had concurrent skin trauma.

Orf virus typically presents as small, bumpy lesions on the base of the hands. Antibiotic treatment is of no benefit, and lesions generally heal on their own within weeks to months.

Green and colleagues recommend that sheep and goat handlers wear barrier protection, such as gloves, and wash hands during care of the animals. Immunocompromised individuals and those with chronic skin conditions, such as eczema, may be at increased risk.

Skin lesions caused by orf virus can be mistaken for life-threatening infections such as anthrax, making rapid and definitive diagnosis critical, investigators warn. Laboratory testing is required to confirm a diagnosis of orf virus infection.

SOURCE: The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, January 26, 2006.