Emma M Shelukhina

SINCE the eradication of smallpox in Equatorial Africa several ‘new’ pox viruses have been isolated in our laboratory from materials collected by WHO field workers—monkeypox virus from an affected individual and the ‘whitepox’ viruses from apparently healthy monkeys and rodents. Monkeypox virus is not widespread but occasionally infects man and has caused death: 33 such cases have occurred in Africa, with 6 deaths. It is not known whether whitepox viruses are pathogenic for man but by ...

A new poxvirus was isolated in 1974 from the kidney of a wild big gerbil(Rhombomys opimus) caught in Turkmenia, where these gerbils are wide-spread. The virus resembles cowpox virus and is markedly different from the virus of infectious ectromelia, the best-known poxvirus of rodents. The new virus is apparently identical to other poxvirus isolates made from white rats andFelidae in the Moscow Zoo.Experimental inoculation of the natural hosts—big gerbils and yellow susliks(Citellus ...

Five strains of monkey pox viruses were compared with respect to their cultural characteristics in primary and continuous cell cultures and the lesions developed in embryonated eggs and in rabbit skin as well as to their hemagglutinating activity.Four strains (“Copenhagen” “65-31” “65-32” and “7-61”) appeared to be similar in their properties. The cytopathogenic effect (CPE) was identical to that induced by vaccinia virus. There was no detectable virus multiplication in an pig kidney ...

Monkeypox virus cloning and isolation of the so-called 'white' clones from white pocks which this virus forms on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) were carried out. The isolated clones were stable and differed considerably from the parental strain. By their properties, they were identical to whitepox viruses formerly isolated from wildlife monkeys and rodents in Equatorial Africa. Besides stable 'white' clones, a number of virus cultures in the process of cloning were obtained which ...

2 pox outbreaks among white rats in a breeding colony are described. The infection occurred in 3 different forms: pulmonary, dermal and mixed. Apparently healthy animals appeared to be virus carriers. The virus isolated belonged to the genus Orthopoxvirus of Poxviridae family, and was very close to cowpox virus. It differed from reference strains of cowpox virus in having a lower ceiling temperature and a higher pathogenicity for white rats.