Risk analysis of contagious ecthyma outbreaks in Kazakhstan

Abstract

Contagious ecthyma (CE) is an infectious disease of sheep and goats characterized by papular-pustular lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. The causative agent of the disease is smallpox-like epitheliotropic DNA - containing a virus belonging to the genus Parapoxvirus of the Poxviridae family. Sheep are mainly affected by the ovine ecthyma virus (ORFV). The ORFV is characterized by zoonotic potential, the ability to cause re-infection in the same animal, a sufficiently wide range of hosts, high resistance in the environment, and high contagiousness. Despite its worldwide distribution and the potential economic losses that CE can cause, the self-limiting nature of the infection and its lower economic impact compared with other viral diseases of sheep and goats are the reasons for the lack of epidemiological data, adequate surveillance in many countries, including Kazakhstan, and, consequently, the lack of an effective strategy to control this disease. This article analyzes the CE epizootic situation in Kazakhstan and assesses the risk of possible outbreaks of the infection.

Key words: contagious ecthyma, risk analysis, ORFV, epidemiology, ELISA.