Cowpox Disease

Cowpox is caused by the cowpox or catpox virus, a part of the orthopoxvirus family, which also includes smallpox and vaccinia. The virus is supposed to be acquired by direct contact with an infected animal, most often a cat in the case of humans, with lesions occurring where the virus gains access through broken skin. Infection normally remains localized at the initial site of inoculation, though lymphatic spread in a sporotrichoid pattern and generalized skin infection have been reported.
Since, a member of the Orthopoxvirus family, cowpox is a large double-stranded DNA virus that replicates in cell cytoplasm. Viral particles bind to plasma covering receptors on host cells and then enter into the cytoplasm, where the viral genome is replicated and viral progeny are assembled. After new viral particles are assembled, the host cell lyses, releasing infectious virus, which can enter nearby cells.