We detected a novel poxvirus from a gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) from the North Sea, Germany. The juvenile animal showed pox-like lesions and deteriorating overall health condition and was finally euthanized. Histology, electron microscopy, sequencing, and PCR confirmed a previously undescribed poxvirus of the Chordopoxvirinae subfamily, tentatively named Wadden Sea poxvirus.
Keywords: Chordopoxvirinae; Germany; Halichoerus grypus; North Sea; Wadden Sea poxvirus; genome; gray seal; phylogeny; poxviridae; poxvirus; seals; sequencing; viruses; zoonoses.