Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “SMALLPOX VIRUS”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Keeping the memory of smallpox virus.

Smallpox virus eradication was one of the greatest successes of the 20th century. Moreover, the quest to combat its use in biological warfare, has fueled efforts to understand residual immune memory and to develop new animal models by the scientific community. Although the literature is full of animal studies of vaccinia virus infection, continuing efforts have helped to increase our knowledge regarding humoral and cellular memory to non-persistent pathogens and to study factors that might influence further vaccination strategies in humans. In addition, the potent immunostimulatory action of poxvirus vectors has led to development and evaluation of new-generation vaccine candidates, which will be discussed in this review.

Animals↗
PubMed1974

Air sampling of smallpox virus.

Airborne smallpox virus has been recovered in an isolation hospital using an adhesive surface sampling technique in the presence of very low aerosol concentrations. Previous work in this field is reviewed. Successful recovery of airborne virus depends on sampling large volumes of air with a suitable sampler and thorough investigation of the whole sample taken for the presence of viable virus. More information on the characteristics and behaviour of airborne smallpox virus is needed in particular with regard to the future design and siting of smallpox isolation units.

Air Microbiology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Potential virulence determinants in terminal regions of variola smallpox virus genome.

Smallpox eradication culminated the most successful antimicrobial campaign in medical history. To characterize further the linear double-stranded DNA genome of the aetiological agent of smallpox, we have determined the entire nucleotide sequence of the highly virulent variola major virus, strain Bangladesh-1975 (VAR-BSH; 186,102 base pairs, 33.7% G + C; Genbank accession number, L22579). Here we highlight features of the molecule and focus on a few of the 187 putative proteins that probably contribute to pathogenicity and virus host-range properties. One hundred and fifty proteins were markedly similar to those of vaccinia virus (smallpox vaccine), for which a complete sequence has been reported for strain Copenhagen (VAC-CPN; 191,636 base pairs, 33.3% G + C). The remaining 37 proteins reflected variola-specific sequences or open reading frame divergences for variant proteins, which are often truncated or elongated compared with their vaccinia counterparts.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Practical synthesis of D- and l-2-cyclopentenone and their utility for the synthesis of carbocyclic antiviral nucleosides against orthopox viruses (smallpox, monkeypox, and cowpox virus).

Highly efficient and practical methodology for the syntheses of D- and l-4,5-O-isopropylidene-2-cyclopentenone (9 and 22), versatile intermediates for the synthesis of carbocyclic nucleosides, have been developed via a ring-closing metathesis reaction from d-ribose in eight steps. The utility of D- and l-4,5-O-isopropylidene-2-cyclopentenone is demonstrated by their application for the preparation of D-cyclopentyl-6-azauridine 12 and D-cyclopentenyl-5-halocytosine nucleosides (33-35) using Mitsunobu reaction to introduce pyrimidine bases as potential antiviral agents. Preliminary antiviral activity against orthopox viruses (smallpox, monkeypox, and cowpox virus) of the synthesized nucleosides are described.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed2004

A rapid detection method for Vaccinia virus, the surrogate for smallpox virus.

Prior to the World Health Organization's announcement of total eradication in 1977 [J. Am. Med. Assoc. 281 (1999) 1735], smallpox was a worldwide pathogen. Vaccinations were ceased in 1980 and now with a largely unprotected world population, smallpox is considered the ideal biowarfare agent [Antiviral Res. 57 (2002) 1]. Infection normally occurs after implantation of the virus on the oropharyngeal or respiratory mucosa [J. Am. Med. Assoc. 281 (1999) 2127]. Smallpox virus can be detected from the throats of exposed individuals prior to onset of illness and prior to the infectious stage of the illness. A rapid, sensitive real-time assay to detect Variola virus (smallpox) has been developed using the Vaccinia virus, a surrogate of smallpox, as a target. Cyanine 5 dye-labeled anti-Vaccinia antibody was used in a sandwich immunoassay to produce a fluorescent signal in the presence of the Vaccinia virus. The signal was detected using the Analyte 2000 biosensor (Research International, Monroe, WA). The Analyte 2000 uses a 635 nm laser diode to provide excitation light that is launched into a polystyrene optical waveguide. Fluorescent molecules within the evanescent wave are excited and a portion of their emission energy recouples into the waveguide. A photodiode quantifies the emission light at wavelengths between 670 and 710 nm. The biosensor was able to detect a minimum of 2.5 x 10(5) pfu/ml of Vaccinia virus in seeded throat culture swab specimens.

Biosensing Techniques↗
PubMed1996

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

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.

Cowpox↗
PubMed2006

GeneChip resequencing of the smallpox virus genome can identify novel strains: a biodefense application.

We developed a set of seven resequencing GeneChips, based on the complete genome sequences of 24 strains of smallpox virus (variola virus), for rapid characterization of this human-pathogenic virus. Each GeneChip was designed to analyze a divergent segment of approximately 30,000 bases of the smallpox virus genome. This study includes the hybridization results of 14 smallpox virus strains. Of the 14 smallpox virus strains hybridized, only 7 had sequence information included in the design of the smallpox virus resequencing GeneChips; similar information for the remaining strains was not tiled as a reference in these GeneChips. By use of variola virus-specific primers and long-range PCR, 22 overlapping amplicons were amplified to cover nearly the complete genome and hybridized with the smallpox virus resequencing GeneChip set. These GeneChips were successful in generating nucleotide sequences for all 14 of the smallpox virus strains hybridized. Analysis of the data indicated that the GeneChip resequencing by hybridization was fast and reproducible and that the smallpox virus resequencing GeneChips could differentiate the 14 smallpox virus strains characterized. This study also suggests that high-density resequencing GeneChips have potential biodefense applications and may be used as an alternate tool for rapid identification of smallpox virus in the future.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2004

Real-time PCR system for detection of orthopoxviruses and simultaneous identification of smallpox virus.

A screening assay for real-time LightCycler (Roche Applied Science, Mannheim, Germany) PCR identification of smallpox virus DNA was developed and compiled in a kit system under good manufacturing practice conditions with standardized reagents. In search of a sequence region unique to smallpox virus, the nucleotide sequence of the 14-kDa fusion protein gene of each of 14 variola virus isolates of the Russian World Health Organization smallpox virus repository was determined and compared to published sequences. PCR primers were designed to detect all Eurasian-African species of the genus ORTHOPOXVIRUS: A single nucleotide mismatch resulting in a unique amino acid substitution in smallpox virus was used to design a hybridization probe pair with a specific sensor probe that allows reliable differentiation of smallpox virus from other orthopoxviruses by melting-curve analysis. The applicability was demonstrated by successful amplification of 120 strains belonging to the orthopoxvirus species variola, vaccinia, camelpox, mousepox, cowpox, and monkeypox virus. The melting temperatures (T(m)s) determined for 46 strains of variola virus (T(m)s, 55.9 to 57.8 degrees C) differed significantly (P = 0.005) from those obtained for 11 strains of vaccinia virus (T(m)s, 61.7 to 62.7 degrees C), 15 strains of monkeypox virus (T(m)s, 61.9 to 62.2 degrees C), 40 strains of cowpox virus (T(m)s, 61.3 to 63.7 degrees C), 8 strains of mousepox virus (T(m), 61.9 degrees C), and 8 strains of camelpox virus (T(m)s, 64.0 to 65.0 degrees C). As most of the smallpox virus samples were derived from infected cell cultures and tissues, smallpox virus DNA could be detected in a background of human DNA. By applying probit regression analysis, the analytical sensitivity was determined to be 4 copies of smallpox virus target DNA per sample. The DNAs of several human herpesviruses as well as poxviruses other than orthopoxviruses were not detected by this method. The assay proved to be a reliable technique for the detection of orthopoxviruses, with the advantage that it can simultaneously identify variola virus.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

[Smallpox virus as biological weapon].

Smallpox, because of its high case-fatality rate, easy transmission from human to human, lack of specific treatment represents nowadays one of the main threats in bioterrorist attacks. Over the centuries, naturally occurring smallpox with its case-fatality over 30 percent and its ability to spread in any climate and season has been treated as the most dangerous infectious disease. But it is now, 25 years after the last documented case of smallpox and cessation of routine vaccination in present mobile and susceptible population, smallpox virus spread might be rapid and devastating.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed1965

The recovery of smallpox virus from patients and their environment in a smallpox hospital.

Attempts had been made in 1961 to recover smallpox virus by air sampling in smallpox wards and close to the mouths of smallpox patients, but these had been largely unsuccessful, possibly owing to the air sampling method used. Further attempts were therefore made in 1963, with a fluid impinger for air sampling and with Petri dishes placed below the orifice of the impinger to collect large droplets or particulate matter that the impinger might miss.Air samples from near the patients' mouths yielded little virus, this being more readily recovered from the settling-plates. Patients' bedclothes sampled with the impinger yielded rather more virus, but again even more was obtained from the Petri dishes.The results suggest that contamination of the air in the vicinity of smallpox patients is due to relatively large particles of infected dust from the patients' bedclothes rather than from fine droplets or droplet nuclei coming from the upper respiratory tract. Secretions from the mouth and upper respiratory tract appear to be responsible for the early contamination of pillows and bedclothes.

Female↗
PubMed1965

ONTOGENESIS OF HUMAN SMALLPOX VIRUS.

THE VEGETATIVE STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN SMALLPOX VIRUS IS DESCRIBED AS BEING COMPRISED OF FOUR SUCCESSIVE PERIODS: "without membrane" period; "open-cavity" period; "single-cavity" period; and "double-cavity" period. This classification is based on the organization of the virus membranes. This paper presents a description of the changes in virus structure during each period. It shows the strict sequence of morphological continuity and succession of differentiation of viral components. The most important stage of the development, the differentiation of virus nucleoid, takes place in the virus cavity morphologically isolated from the cellular milieu and limited originally by the external membrane of the virus and then by the second one, the primary membrane of the nucleoid. Osmiophilic fibrils 20 to 25 A wide, which fill the cavity of a mature nucleoid, become clearly evident after staining with uranyl acetate and are revealed only at the end of the last or double-cavity period. The main features of the developmental cycle of human smallpox virus may probably be characteristic of certain other groups of viruses.

Cell Biology↗
PubMed2002

Detection of smallpox virus DNA by LightCycler PCR.

A 300-bp plasmid fragment of the hemagglutinin gene was used as target DNA to develop a rapid real-time LightCycler (Roche Applied Science, Indianapolis, Ind.) PCR assay for laboratory detection of smallpox virus. PCR primers and probes were designed specifically for detection of smallpox virus DNA, but all viruses of the genus Orthopoxvirus tested could be detected by use of the hemagglutinin gene target sequence. Base pair mismatches in the 204-bp amplicon allowed discrimination of cowpox virus (melting temperature [T(m)], 56.40 degrees C), monkeypox virus (T(m), 56.24 degrees C), and vaccinia virus (T(m), 56.72 degrees C), including the Dryvax vaccine strain, from smallpox virus (T(m), 62.45 degrees C) by melting curve analysis. The analytical sensitivity was 5 to 10 copies of target DNA per sample. The assay was specific for members of the genus Orthopoxvirus; the DNAs of herpes simplex virus and varicella-zoster virus were not detected by the smallpox virus LightCycler PCR.

Animals↗