ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses a few viral infections that might affect reindeer in the future. Viruses are not susceptible to antibiotics used against bacterial diseases, and there are only a few anti-viral drugs against a very restricted repertoire of viruses on the market, such as HIV and herpesviruses. Parapoxviruses cause proliferative processes in the skin and mucosal membranes of reindeer, called contagious ecthyma. The disease is characterized by ulcerative skin lesions and erosions and papules in the mouth, but proliferative lesions and necrotic/purulent erosions have also been observed, with secondary bacterial infections. Orf virus and Pseudocowpoxvirus, as well as a bovine pathogen, bovine papular stomatitis virus, can also infect man, i.e. they are zoonotic. In Rangifer, herpesviruses belonging to the Alpha- and Gammaherpesvirinae subfamilies are important pathogens. Papillomaviruses cause skin processes called papillomas or fibropapillomas in many animal species, including reindeer.
