When good vaccines go wild: Feral Orthopoxvirus in developing countries and beyond

J Infect Dev Ctries. 2008 Jun 1;2(3):156-73. doi: 10.3855/jidc.258.

Abstract

The presence of zoonotic poxviruses in nature represents a potential human health risk that has to be re-evaluated by health authorities not only in developing countries, but also in many developed countries. For example, buffalopox virus infection remains to be a threat to humans and cattle in India, and monkeypox virus infection persists in several inhabited places in Africa and, more recently, in the USA. There are also a great number of zoonotic transmissions of cowpox virus from cats to humans in Europe. For almost a decade in Brazil, vaccinia-like viruses have been isolated from human and cattle infections. This review examines the ability of potentially pathogenic orthopoxviruses, including feral versions of vaccinia virus vaccine, to persist in nature and re-emerge for reasons we do not yet understand.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Developing Countries*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Orthopoxvirus / genetics
  • Orthopoxvirus / immunology*
  • Poxviridae Infections / immunology
  • Poxviridae Infections / prevention & control
  • Poxviridae Infections / virology*
  • Viral Vaccines / therapeutic use*
  • Zoonoses / virology

Substances

  • Viral Vaccines