ORF VIRUS INFECTION IN WILD GOATS (CAPRA AEGAGRUS ERXLEBEN 1777) OF SARICICEK MOUNTAIN

Orf virus occurs where sheep and goats are raised, and it also infects a broad range of wild artiodactyls. The rates of morbidity and mortality are higher, particularly in lambs and kids experiencing the disease for the first time. Orf virus has been reported in domestic animals and humans in Turkey, so far. In this study, findings on the presence of Orf virus on wild goats were researched for the first time. Field studies were carried out between 2016 and 2017 years. Direct observation methods were used in field studies. In this study, a dead six months of age male wild goat (Capra aegagrus) and 3 diseased individuals in poor condition with bloody lesions covering the muzzle area were examined in Saricicek Mountain in Eastern Black Sea Region, Turkey. The gross and microscopic lesions confirmed the diagnosis of contagious ecthyma (CE). This is the first documented report of CE in wild goat from Turkey.