Characteristics of a virus causing a pox disease in sheep and goats in Kenya, with observation on the epidemiology and control.

The sheep and goat pox viruses isolated in Kenya are not host specific as in the Middle East and India. The virus strains from one species are of a similar pathogenicity for the other, and the same virus appears to occur in the field outbreaks in mixed flocks. A silent infection with no skin lesions occurs in the field outbreaks. The virus grows well in lamb testis cell cultures, it does not haemadsorb nor haemagglutinate and is ether sensitive. Most strains could not readily be adapted to grow on the chorioallantoic membrane of embryonated eggs; one isolation only was made in this way. Staining of the virus inclusions showed that they were of DNA; the virus resembled that of lumpy skin disease in many characteristics. It was possible to cross-protect both species with virus of sheep or goat origin. A vaccine was made from tissue culture virus adsorped onto aluminium hydroxide gel and treated with formalin.