Mpox in Animals and Pets

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (U.S.). Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology.
• Description:
  Updated August 18, 2023
  
  Mpox is a zoonotic disease, which means it can spread between animals and people. While the animal reservoir is unknown, small mammals (for example, rope and sun squirrels, giant-pouched rats, African dormice) are thought to maintain the virus in the environments of West and Central Africa. People can get infected with the virus through direct contact with infected animals, often while hunting, trapping, and processing infected animals or their body parts and fluids. Small mammals can carry the virus without symptoms, while non-human primates can get sick with mpox and have signs of disease like humans. In 2003, an outbreak of mpox in domesticated prairie dogs occurred after they shared bedding and caging with a shipment of infected small mammals from West Africa. This led to 47 human cases in 6 states in the United States. Isolating infected and exposed animals and people can help prevent further spread of mpox.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Animals, Domestic Disease Outbreaks Mpox (monkeypox) Zoonoses
• Document Type:
  Webpage
• Collection(s):
  Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:af6a8fb03d918b34d4dc8fddbed931aec39746f9a7bd3e8ce9ca6b1538c614a5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/132180/cdc_132180_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.03 MB ]