Parapoxvirus

…Orf virus belongs to the Facultad de Veterinaria de Zaragoza, C/Miguel Servet 177, Zaragoza, 50013, genus Parapoxvirus, family Poxviridae, sub-family Chordopoxvirinae.1 It is Spain a pathogen with worldwide distribution…

-S; Dechra, UK) on lambs with contagious ecthyma. The con- centration of a marker of systemic inflammation, serum amyloid A (SAA), was measured during the clinical phase of CE in naturally and experimentally infected lambs, in cohorts either treated or not treated with the product. In the experimental infection, the treatment modified the SAA response, peaking earlier and at lower levels than in controls and show- ing significantly lower values at the completion of the experimental period than in controls. In the natural outbreak, SAA levels significantly decreased over time in the treated cohort, whereas in controls, levels remained stable at high values. These results indicate that this topical formulation reduces systemic inflammation in lambs with CE, providing supportive evidence that this is a promising non-antibiotic therapeutic alternative to current practice. Abstract Academic Editor: Clive J. C. Phillips Contagious ecthyma (CE) is a widespread, highly contagious zoonotic skin disease of Received: 10 November 2025 small ruminants caused by the Orf virus (ORFV), leading to substantial economic losses Revised: 4 December 2025 and welfare concerns. There is no specific treatment, with topical antiseptics and oral Accepted: 17 December 2025 or parenteral antibiotics often administered for preventing secondary infections, risking Published: 20 December 2025 antimicrobial resistance. This study assessed the effect of treating CE in lambs with an Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. antibiotic-free topical anaesthetic/antiseptic formulation (Tri-Solfen® ; T-S; Medical Ethics, Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Australia/MultiSolfen® ; M-S; Dechra, UK). Serum amyloid A (SAA), a marker of systemic This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and