Near Berlin, Germany, several juvenile red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) were found with moist, crusty skin lesions. Histology, electron microscopy, and cell culture isolation revealed an orthopoxvirus-like infection. Subsequent PCR and genome analysis identified a new poxvirus (Berlin squirrelpox virus) that could not be assigned to any known poxvirus genera.
Keywords: Berlin; Berlin squirrelpox virus; Germany; Sciuridae; Sciurus vulgaris; dermatitis; poxvirus; red squirrels; skin disease; squirrel; squirrelpox; viruses.