Further characterization of Raccoonpox virus.

A poxvirus isolated from the respiratory tract of raccoons in a forest and swamp area near Aberdeen, Maryland, was characterized by biological, serological, and biophysical methods. The virus was shown to be related to the vaccinia-variola subgroup by serological and biophysical methods, but measurably different from the other viruses of this group by biological methods. It causes flaccid paralysis in 1-day-old suckling mice and does not grow well on CAM after two or three passages.