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Vaccinia virus (VACV or VV) is a large, complex, enveloped virus belonging to the poxvirus family. It has a linear, double-stranded DNA genome approximately 190 kbp in length, which encodes approximately 250 genes. The dimensions of the virion are roughly 360 × 270 × 250 nm, with a mass of approximately 5–10 fg. The vaccinia virus is the source of the modern smallpox vaccine, which the World Health Organization (WHO) used to eradicate smallpox in a global vaccination campaign in 1958–1977. Although smallpox no longer exists in the wild, vaccinia virus is still studied widely by scientists as a tool for gene therapy and genetic engineering. Smallpox had been an endemic human disease that had a 30% fatality rate. In 1796, the British doctor Edward Jenner proved that an infection with the relatively mild cowpox virus would also confer immunity to the deadly smallpox. Jenner referred to cowpox as variolae vaccinae (smallpox of the cow). However, the origins of the smallpox vaccine became murky over time, especially after Louis Pasteur developed laboratory techniques for creating vaccines in the 19th century. Allan Watt Downie demonstrated in 1939 that the modern smallpox vaccine was serologically distinct from cowpox, and vaccinia was subsequently recognized as a separate viral species. Whole-genome sequencing has revealed that vaccinia is most closely related to horsepox, and the cowpox strains found in Great Britain are the least closely related to vaccinia. In addition to the morbidity of uncomplicated primary vaccination, transfer of infection to other sites by scratching, and post-vaccinial encephalitis, other complications of vaccinia infections may be divided into the following types: Generalized vaccinia Eczema vaccinatum Progressive vaccinia (vaccinia gangrenosum, vaccinia necrosum) Roseola vaccinia Vaccinia virus is closely related to the virus that causes cowpox; historically the two were often considered to be one and the same.

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Related publications (1)

Vaccinia Virus Entry Is Followed by Core Activation and Proteasome-Mediated Release of the Immunomodulatory Effector VH1 from Lateral Bodies

Henning Paul-Julius Stahlberg, Lucia Reh

Host cell entry of vaccinia virus, the prototypic poxvirus, involves a membrane fusion event delivering the viral core and two proteinaceous lateral bodies (LBs) into the cytosol. Uncoating of viral cores is poorly characterized, and the composition and function of LBs remains enigmatic. We found that cytosolic cores rapidly dissociated from LBs and expanded in volume, which coincided with reduction of disulfide-bonded core proteins. We identified the abundant phosphoprotein F17, the dual-specificity phosphatase VH1, and the oxidoreductase G4 as bona fide LB components. After reaching the cytosol, F17 was degraded in a proteasome-dependent manner. Proteasome activity, and presumably LB disassembly, was required for the immediate immunomodulatory activity of VH1: dephosphorylation of STAT1 to prevent interferon-gamma-mediated antiviral responses. These results reveal a mechanism used by poxviruses to deliver viral enzymes to the host cell cytosol and are likely to facilitate the identification of additional LB-resident viral effectors.

Elsevier BV2013

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Related concepts (13)

Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment. The time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks. Cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems.

Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, making smallpox the only human disease to be eradicated. The initial symptoms of the disease included fever and vomiting. This was followed by formation of ulcers in the mouth and a skin rash.

Related lectures (4)

Explores the history, impact, and challenges of vaccination, from Jenner to modern immunization.

Explores tessellation for SMLM data analysis, covering Voronoi segmentation and colocalization principles, applications in various fields, and integration of quantification methods.

Covers the basics of quantum mechanics, including angular momentum and energy levels.

Explores the history, impact, and challenges of vaccination, from Jenner to modern immunization.

Explores tessellation for SMLM data analysis, covering Voronoi segmentation and colocalization principles, applications in various fields, and integration of quantification methods.

Covers the basics of quantum mechanics, including angular momentum and energy levels.