Variola caprina is a contagious

Contagious disease

A contagious disease is a subset category of infectious diseases , which are easily transmitted by physical contact with the person suffering the disease, or by their secretions or objects touched by them....

 viral

Virus

A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...

 disease caused by a pox virus that affects goats. The virus usually spreads via the respiratory system

Respiratory system

The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...

, and sometimes spreads through abraded skin. It is most likely to occur in crowded stock. Sources of the virus include cutaneous lesions, saliva

Saliva

Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...

 , nasal secretions and faeces. There are two types of the disease; the papulo-vesicular form and nodular form (stone pox). The incubation period is usually between 8–13 days, but it may be as short as 4 days.

It is thought the same virus spreads sheep pox, to which European sheep breeds are highly susceptible. The virus may be present in dried scabs for up to 6 months.

In endemic areas the morbidity rate is 70-90% and the mortality rate is 5-10%. The mortality rate may reach nearly 100% in imported animals. Resistant animals may show only a mild form of the disease, which may be missed as only a few lesions are present, usually around the ears

EARS

EARS may refer to:* Electoral software* Electronic Arts, Redwood Shores campus.* Emirates Amateur Radio Society...

 or the tail

Tail

The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...

.

Spread of Goat Pox

Goat pox is found in the part of Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

 north of the equator, the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, Central Asia

Central Asia

Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...

 and India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It may be spread between animals by:

• Direct contact
• Indirect transmission by contaminated implements, vehicles or products such as litter or fodder
• Indirect transmission by insects (mechanical vectors).
• Contamination by inhalation
  Inhalation
  Inhalation is the movement of air from the external environment, through the air ways, and into the alveoli....
  
  , intradermal or subcutaneous inoculation, or by respiratory, transcutaneous and transmucosal routes

Clinical signs

• Initial rapid onset of fever
  Fever
  Fever is a common medical sign characterized by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set-point. This increase in set-point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.As a person's temperature increases, there is, in...
  
  , salivation , nasal discharge and conjunctivitis
  Conjunctivitis
  Conjunctivitis refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva...
  
  
• Eruption of skin lesions after a few days. These lesions first develop into vesicles, pustules and then hairy and dark-colored scabs
  Coagulation
  Coagulation is a complex process by which blood forms clots. It is an important part of hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, wherein a damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a platelet and fibrin-containing clot to stop bleeding and begin repair of the damaged vessel...
  
  . They may take up to 6 weeks to heal. Scabs are often found in hair-free or wool-free areas such as the udders, perineum, inguinal area, scrotum, muzzle, eyelids and axillae.
• Appearance on udder
  Udder
  An udder is an organ formed of the mammary glands of female quadruped mammals, especially ruminants such as cattle, goats, sheep and deer. The udder is a single mass hanging beneath the animal, consisting of pairs of mammary glands...
  
  s and teats of small, red spotty areas which may form scabs. The orifices of the teats may become infected and cause mastitis
  Mastitis
  Mastitis is the inflammation of breast tissue. S. aureus is the most common etiological organism responsible, but S. epidermidis and streptococci are occasionally isolated as well.-Terminology:...
  
  .
• Sensitivity in affected skin
• Internal lesions in the lungs causing respiratory distress
  Respiratory distress
  Respiratory distress may refer to either/both:* Labored breathing, the physical presentation of respiratory distress*Shortness of breath or dyspnea - a sensation of respiratory distress-See also:*List of terms of lung size and activity...
  
  
• Depression
  Depression (mood)
  Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
  
  
• Polynoea
• Oedema of eyelids, photophobia
  Photophobia
  Photophobia is a symptom of abnormal intolerance to visual perception of light. As a medical symptom photophobia is not a morbid fear or phobia, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure or by presence of actual physical photosensitivity of the eyes, though the term...
  
  , Rhinitis
  Rhinitis
  Rhinitis , commonly known as a stuffy nose, is the medical term describing irritation and inflammation of some internal areas of the nose. The primary symptom of rhinitis is nasal dripping. It is caused by chronic or acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose due to viruses, bacteria or...
  
   and lacrimation
• Development of nodules in the lungs causing bronchopneumonia
  Bronchopneumonia
  Bronchopneumonia or bronchial pneumonia or "Bronchogenic pneumonia" is the acute inflammation of the walls of the bronchioles...
  
  
• Anorexia

The Papulo- vesicular form

• Papules become a white-grey colour, desiccate and form crusts that are easy to remove
• Papules are 0.5-1.5 cm diameters and are hard to the touch. The papules become depressed, gray and necrotic. May be surrounded by an area of hyperemia.
• Rarely, papules may transform into large, fluid-filled vesicles. After the vesicles rupture, a thick crust covers the lesions

The Nodular form

• Papules give rise to nodules involving all the layers of the skin and the subcutaneous tissue.
• Necrosis and sloughing of the nodules leaves a hairless scar.

Secondary problems

• Septicaemia
• Abortion
  Abortion
  Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
  
   (rare)
• Infections
• Fly strike
• Digestive localisation