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. 2013 Jan;19(1):102-5.
doi: 10.3201/eid1901.120421.

Sheep-to-human transmission of Orf virus during Eid al-Adha religious practices, France

Antoine Nougairede  1 , Christelle Fossati, Nicolas Salez, Stephan Cohen-Bacrie, Laetitia Ninove, Fabrice Michel, Samer Aboukais, Mathias Buttner, Christine Zandotti, Xavier de Lamballerie, Remi N Charrel
Affiliations

Sheep-to-human transmission of Orf virus during Eid al-Adha religious practices, France

Antoine Nougairede et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Five persons in France were infected with Orf virus after skin wounds were exposed to infected sheep tissues during Eid al-Adha, the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice. Infections were confirmed by electron microscopy, PCR, and sequence analysis. Prevention and control of this underdiagnosed disease can be achieved by educating physicians, slaughterhouse workers, and persons participating in Eid al-Adha.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Orf virus infection in 5 persons who butchered or prepared lambs as part of a religious practice for Eid al-Adha (the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice), Marseille, France, 2011. Cutaneous lesions on hands of case-patient 3 (A, B) and case-patient 5 (C) are shown. Negative-staining electron microscopy of samples from case-patient 3 (D) and case-patient 5 (E, F) show ovoid particles (≈250 nm long, 150 nm wide) with a crisscross appearance; the size and appearance of these particles are highly suggestive of parapoxvirus virions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Natural history of Orf virus infection and diagnosis in 5 persons who butchered or prepared lambs as part of a religious practice for Eid al-Adha (the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice), Marseille, France, 2011. Arrows indicate events for the first cluster of cases among 3 related persons (a brother and sister and their aunt).
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