Background Contagious ecthyma (CE) is a highly contagious viral disease of small ruminants such as sheep and goats [1] that occasionally affects camels [2] and wild ruminants with huge economic impact on the livestock industry [2–6]. Clinically, the disease is associated with skin lesions such as erythema, macules, papules, vesicles, pustules and crusts on the lips, tongue, teat, nose, hooves and other parts of the body [6] especially in young lambs and kids [3,7].
