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Medical theory, medical care, and preventive medicine
Published in Lois N. Magner, Oliver J. Kim, A History of Medicine, 2017
Variola, the smallpox virus, is a member of the orthopoxvirus family, which includes cowpox, buffalopox, camelpox, swinepox, monkeypox, and gerbilpox. Several strains of variola, which differ in virulence, have been characterized. The complete genome of vaccinia, the virus used in vaccines against smallpox, was decoded in 1990. Four years later, scientists established the complete genetic sequence of one of the more virulent strains of variola. Despite the marked differences in virulence of the two viruses, the DNA sequences of vaccinia and variola are remarkably similar.
Mpox: epidemiology, clinical manifestations and recent developments in treatment and prevention
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2023
Nikil Selvaraj, Shreya Shyam, Puvin Dhurairaj, Kaviarasan Thiruselvan, Akil Thiruselvan, Yochana Kancherla, Pritika Kandamaran
Double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid viruses belonging to the Poxviridae family infect a variety of species, including birds, reptiles, insects, and mammals [5]. The family is divided into two subfamilies: Entomopoxvirinae and Chordopoxvirinae, which together contain 52 species and 18 genera (with 4 genera and 30 species). The Chordopoxvirinae subfamily of the Poxviridae family, which includes the genus Orthopoxvirus, is where Mpox originates [5]. Variola (smallpox), cowpox, Mpox, vaccinia, camelpox, alaskapox, yaba monkey tumor virus, tanapox virus, orf virus, pseudocowpox virus, bovine papular stomatitis virus, buffalopox, and molluscum contagiosum are some of the poxvirus species that have been linked to human diseases [5]. Variola and molluscum contagiosum viruses are reservoir hosts in humans (Figure 1). As the Mpox virus (MPXV) can infect a broad variety of creatures, it circulates in wild animals while sporadically infecting humans through spillover episodes [6]. It is important to remember that infection with any one virus of a genus has shown to offer some protection against infections with any other viruses within the same genus [5].
An overview of tecovirimat for smallpox treatment and expanded anti-orthopoxvirus applications
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2021
Andrew T. Russo, Douglas W. Grosenbach, Jarasvech Chinsangaram, Kady M. Honeychurch, Paul G Long, Candace Lovejoy, Biswajit Maiti, Ingrid Meara, Dennis E. Hruby
Over the next several years we expect that the civilian smallpox response plan will be revised and updated to explicitly include tecovirimat in the list of available countermeasures to be used in case of a smallpox bioterrorist attack or other smallpox outbreak. Programs being conducted to expand the tecovirimat label to include intravenous and liquid oral formulations are expected to culminate in New Drug Application (NDA) submissions to the USFDA for approval of these formulations for smallpox treatment. Regulatory submissions in support of expansion of the tecovirimat indications to include post-exposure prophylaxis, administration to individuals known or suspected to have been exposed to VARV in the course of a smallpox outbreak, but prior to the onset of clinical symptoms, are expected. In addition, the global threat of emerging orthopoxvirus disease outbreaks, such as monkeypox, buffalopox, cowpox, and vaccinia, suggests that tecovirimat label expansion to include these indications would be beneficial, and human clinical efficacy trials for these indications are recommended. With the potential for expansion of tecovirimat label indications along with the global population growth new models of smallpox outbreak scenarios should be developed and simulations based on these models used to inform government decisions on the inventory levels of tecovirimat, and other anti-smallpox countermeasures, that would need to be maintained in the US Strategic National Stockpile to provide an adequate level of preparedness for a hypothetical smallpox outbreak.
Poxvirus-based vector systems and the potential for multi-valent and multi-pathogen vaccines
Published in Expert Review of Vaccines, 2018
Natalie A. Prow, Rocio Jimenez Martinez, John D. Hayball, Paul M. Howley, Andreas Suhrbier
Poxviruses have a series of strategies that inhibit superinfection (so called superinfection exclusion) [108,109], which should further reduce the already low risk of potentially hazardous recombination events [110] in vaccine recipients between recombinant poxvirus vaccines and circulating wild-type poxviruses, which include cowpox [2,111], buffalopox [112], raccoonpox [113], and monkeypox [114]. An emerging safety concern for attenuated viral vaccines generally is their potential to be disseminated by mosquitoes [115]. Given the recent realization of the complexity of mosquito viromes [116], a relatively unexplored issue is uptake of recombinant viral vaccines by mosquitoes and the ensuing potential for recombination events with mosquito viruses. A poxvirus, Yokapox virus, has also been isolated from mosquitoes [113].