Department of Biotechnology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin, Kerala, 682022, India.
Institute of Advanced Virology, Thonnakkal, Trivandrum, Kerala, 695317, India.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2024;1451:139-149. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-57165-7_9.
Variola virus is an anthroponotic agent that belongs to the orthopoxvirus family. It is an etiological agent of smallpox, an ancient disease that caused massive mortality of human populations. Twentieth century has witnessed the death of about 300 million people due to the unavailability of an effective vaccine. Early detection is the primary strategy to prevent an outbreak of smallpox. Variola virus forms the characteristic pus-filled pustules and centrifugal rash distribution in the infected patients while transmission occurs mainly through respiratory droplets during the early stage of infection. No antiviral drugs are approved for variola virus till date. Generation of first-generation vaccines helped in the eradication of smallpox which was declared by the World Health Organization.
天花病毒是一种人兽共患病原体，属于正痘病毒科。它是天花的病原体，天花是一种古老的疾病，曾导致大量人口死亡。二十世纪，由于缺乏有效的疫苗，约有 3 亿人因此死亡。早期发现是预防天花爆发的主要策略。感染天花的患者会出现特征性的充满脓液的脓疱和离心性皮疹分布，而传播主要发生在感染早期的呼吸道飞沫中。迄今为止，还没有批准用于天花病毒的抗病毒药物。第一代疫苗的产生有助于世界卫生组织宣布的天花根除。
