Parapoxvirus infections acquired after exposure to wildlife.

The histopathologic and electron microscopic findings in two patients with skin lesions that developed after exposure to deer and other wildlife were consistent with a parapoxviral infection. Human infections that were morphologically similar to Parapoxvirus infection have been previously described concerning exposure to cervids (deer and related animals). Ours are the first reported cases in which viral particles were demonstrated by electron microscopy.