Sealpox is a

cutaneous Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different d ...

(skin) condition caused by a ''

Parapoxvirus ''Parapoxvirus'' is a genus of viruses, in the family ''Poxviridae'', in the subfamily ''Chordopoxvirinae''. Like all members of the family Poxviridae, they are oval, relatively large, double-stranded DNA viruses. Parapoxviruses have a unique s ...

'', usually affecting seal handlers who have been bitten by infected

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

grey seal The grey seal (''Halichoerus grypus'') is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. In Latin Halichoerus grypus means "hook-nosed sea pig". It is a large seal of the family Phocidae, which are commonly referred to as "true seals" or " ...

s. First identified in 1969, it wasn't unequivocally proven to be transmissible to humans until 2005, though such transmission had been reported at least as early as 1987. It causes lesions that closely resemble those caused by

orf ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the ...

. As many as 2% of seals in marine mammal rehabilitation facilities in North America may have it.

See also

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