Poxvirus

A pox of unique human diseases--many of which cause an uncomfortable swelling--come upon you - Brandon Sanderson, Skyward

Poxvirus

image by: American Society for Microbiology

HWN Recommends

The Persistent Danger of Poxes

If we do experience an orthopoxvirus outbreak from smallpox, monkeypox, or something else entirely, the U.S. does have a stockpile of smallpox vaccine—enough to immunize every citizen. Once the nature of the outbreak is identified, that is. Still, whether the exposure comes from an inadvertent contact with a hidden orthopoxvirus in nature or after stumbling upon great-grandpa’s stash of smallpox scabs in the attic, rest assured that a return to the days of hundreds of millions of smallpox deaths is unlikely.

read full article

Resources

 The Persistent Danger of Poxes

Smallpox is but one of a family of viruses called orthopoxviruses. Another member of the family, vaccinia, so closely related that it’s used in the smallpox vaccine, causes a relatively mild infection in humans. Perhaps the most concerning orthopoxvirus is monkeypox, a virus originating in African rodents that causes symptoms similar to smallpox in humans.

CDC

Poxviruses are brick or oval-shaped viruses with large double-stranded DNA genomes. Poxviruses exist throughout the world and cause disease in humans and many other types of animals. Poxvirus infections typically result in the formation of lesions, skin nodules, or disseminated rash.

Cusabio

Poxviruses, family Poxviridae, are responsible for a wide range of pox diseases in humans and other animals. Most notably variola virus (VARA), the cause of smallpox, was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980 by the World Health Organization. So what is the structure of poxvirus? And how many genus of poxvirus in the world?

Introducing Stitches!

Your Path to Meaningful Connections in the World of Health and Medicine
Connect, Collaborate, and Engage!

Coming Soon - Stitches, the innovative chat app from the creators of HWN. Join meaningful conversations on health and medical topics. Share text, images, and videos seamlessly. Connect directly within HWN's topic pages and articles.


Be the first to know when Stitches starts accepting users


Health Cloud

Stay Connected