Human Orf Disease; a case series in Kashan City, Iran

Abstract

Aims Infection with parapoxvirus is an occupational hazard of farm workers, abattoir workers, veterinarians, and others with frequent exposure to sheep, cattle, or goats. The aim of this study was to determine the risk working groups in Kashan City, Iran. Patients & Methods This case series study was performed in the private clinic of Dr. Afzali in Kashan region, Iran during 2000-13. Diagnosis was made by history, appearance and location of the lesion and clinical course through pathologicalexamination of all patients by an expert physician. The history of contact with sheepor goats, duration of the prodromal period, the location of the lesions, the patient’s dominant extremity, duration of recovery, complications, clinical symptoms, profession, age and sex were recorded. Data were entered into SPSS 16 software and were presented by descriptive statistics. Findings 11 patients with Orf disease were recognized during the study period, 8 of which were male. The mean age of all samples was 33.1±15.3 (12 to 64) years. The mean of incubation period was 11.7±6.4 (5 to 19) days. The mean of lesions resolution was 24.8±8.5 (14 to 42) days. All cases resulted in healing without any complications. Conclusion The most important risk groups in our study were abattoir workers, butchers, housewives and students who handle infected animals.

Keywords

• Humans; Orf Virus; Parapoxvirus