Biomaterial Database

Should smallpox virus be destroyed? The relevance of the origins of vaccinia virus. 1996

D Baxby

Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Liverpool.

The fate of surviving stocks of smallpox virus is still uncertain, and it is important that arguments in favour of retention or destruction should present balanced evidence. This article balances the view, probably incorrect and possibly alarmist presented earlier in this Journal by Peter Razzell, that vaccinia and cowpox viruses were derived from smallpox virus. The generally accepted alternative view that all three viruses are independent species and that smallpox virus could not emerge through simple mutation of the other two is presented, together with appropriate literature citations.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D006113	United Kingdom	Country in northwestern Europe including Great Britain and the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland, located between the North Sea and north Atlantic Ocean. The capital is London.	Great Britain,Isle of Man
D006663	Historiography	The writing of history; the principles, theory, and history of historical writing; the product of historical writing. (Webster, 3d ed)	Historiographies
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D012899	Smallpox	An acute, highly contagious, often fatal infectious disease caused by an orthopoxvirus characterized by a biphasic febrile course and distinctive progressive skin eruptions. Vaccination has succeeded in eradicating smallpox worldwide. (Dorland, 28th ed)	Alastrim,Variola,Variola Minor,Minor, Variola,Minors, Variola,Variola Minors,Variolas
D014611	Vaccination	Administration of vaccines to stimulate the host's immune response. This includes any preparation intended for active immunological prophylaxis.	Immunization, Active,Active Immunization,Active Immunizations,Immunizations, Active,Vaccinations
D014615	Vaccinia	The cutaneous and occasional systemic reactions associated with vaccination using smallpox (variola) vaccine.	Vaccinias
D014780	Viruses	Minute infectious agents whose genomes are composed of DNA or RNA, but not both. They are characterized by a lack of independent metabolism and the inability to replicate outside living host cells.	Animal Viruses,Zoophaginae,Animal Virus,Virus,Virus, Animal,Viruses, Animal
D015605	Cowpox	A mild, eruptive skin disease of milk cows caused by COWPOX VIRUS, with lesions occurring principally on the udder and teats. Human infection may occur while milking an infected animal.	Cow Pox,Pox, Cow
D049671	History, 18th Century	Time period from 1701 through 1800 of the common era.	18th Century History,18th Cent. History (Medicine),18th Cent. History of Medicine,18th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 18th Century,History of Medicine, 18th Cent.,History, Eighteenth Century,Medical History, 18th Cent.,Medicine, 18th Cent.,18th Century Histories,Cent. History, 18th (Medicine),Cent. Medicine, 18th,Century Histories, 18th,Century Histories, Eighteenth,Century History, 18th,Century History, Eighteenth,Eighteenth Century Histories,Eighteenth Century History,Histories, 18th Century,Histories, Eighteenth Century,History, 18th Cent. (Medicine)
D049672	History, 19th Century	Time period from 1801 through 1900 of the common era.	19th Century History,19th Cent. History (Medicine),19th Cent. History of Medicine,19th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 19th Century,History of Medicine, 19th Cent.,History, Nineteenth Century,Medical History, 19th Cent.,Medicine, 19th Cent.,19th Cent. Histories (Medicine),19th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 19th (Medicine),Cent. History, 19th (Medicine),Century Histories, 19th,Century Histories, Nineteenth,Century History, 19th,Century History, Nineteenth,Histories, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 19th Century,Histories, Nineteenth Century,History, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Nineteenth Century Histories,Nineteenth Century History