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Viruses Dec 2017Since the official declaration of smallpox eradication in 1980, the general population vaccination has ceased worldwide. Therefore, people under 40 year old are... (Review)
Review
Since the official declaration of smallpox eradication in 1980, the general population vaccination has ceased worldwide. Therefore, people under 40 year old are generally not vaccinated against smallpox and have no cross protection against orthopoxvirus infections. This naïve population may be exposed to natural or intentional orthopoxvirus emergences. The virology unit of the Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées (France) has developed research programs on orthopoxviruses since 2000. Its missions were conceived to improve the diagnosis capabilities, to foster vaccine development, and to develop antivirals targeting specific viral proteins. The role of the virology unit was asserted in 2012 when the responsibility of the National Reference Center for the Orthopoxviruses was given to the unit. This article presents the evolution of the unit activity since 2000, and the past and current research focusing on orthopoxviruses.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Communicable Disease Control; France; Humans; Orthopoxvirus; Poxviridae; Poxviridae Infections; Research; Smallpox Vaccine; Viral Proteins
PubMed: 29295488
DOI: 10.3390/v10010003 -
The New Microbiologica Dec 2022Parapoxvirus (PPV) infections are considered neglected zoonoses because their incidence is often unknown or greatly underestimated despite being endemic globally. Here,...
Parapoxvirus (PPV) infections are considered neglected zoonoses because their incidence is often unknown or greatly underestimated despite being endemic globally. Here, we report the comprehensive diagnostic workflow that led to the identification of two cases of persistent PPV infections. The results obtained underline the importance of adopting a "One Health" approach and cross-sectoral collaboration between human and veterinary medicine for precise aetiological diagnosis and correct management of patients affected by zoonotic diseases.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Parapoxvirus; Zoonoses; Poxviridae Infections
PubMed: 36066214
DOI: No ID Found -
BMC Research Notes Nov 2014Application of molecular diagnostic methods to the determination of etiology in suspected poxvirus-associated infections of bovines is important both for the diagnosis...
BACKGROUND
Application of molecular diagnostic methods to the determination of etiology in suspected poxvirus-associated infections of bovines is important both for the diagnosis of the individual case and to form a more complete understanding of patterns of strain occurrence and spread. The objective of this study was to identify and characterize bovine-associated zoonotic poxviruses in Bangladesh which are relevant to animal and human health.
FINDINGS
Investigators from the International Center Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Bangladesh Department of Livestock Services traveled to three districts in Bangladesh-Siranjganj, Rangpur and Bhola-to collect diagnostic specimens from dairy cattle and buffalo that had symptoms consistent with poxvirus-associated infections. Bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV) DNA was obtained from lesion material (teat) and an oral swab collected from an adult cow and calf (respectively) from a dairy production farm in Siranjganj. Pseudocowpox virus (PCPV) DNA signatures were obtained from a scab and oral swab collected from a second dairy cow and her calf from Rangpur.
CONCLUSIONS
We report the first detection of zoonotic poxviruses from Bangladesh and show phylogenetic comparisons between the Bangladesh viruses and reference strains based on analyses of the B2L and J6R loci (vaccinia orthologs). Understanding the range and diversity of different species and strains of parapoxvirus will help to spotlight unusual patterns of occurrence that could signal events of significance to the agricultural and public health sectors.
Topics: Animals; Bangladesh; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Dairying; Geography; Humans; Parapoxvirus; Phylogeny; Poxviridae Infections; Zoonoses
PubMed: 25410770
DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-816 -
Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology :... Feb 2023
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Pregnancy Outcome; Parturition; Poxviridae Infections
PubMed: 36567481
DOI: 10.1002/uog.26147 -
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms Oct 2017Carp edema virus disease (CEVD), also known as koi sleepy disease, is caused by a poxvirus associated with outbreaks of clinical disease in koi and common carp Cyprinus... (Review)
Review
Carp edema virus disease (CEVD), also known as koi sleepy disease, is caused by a poxvirus associated with outbreaks of clinical disease in koi and common carp Cyprinus carpio. Originally characterised in Japan in the 1970s, international trade in koi has led to the spread of CEV, although the first recognised outbreak of the disease outside of Japan was not reported until 1996 in the USA. In Europe, the disease was first recognised in 2009 and, as detection and diagnosis have improved, more EU member states have reported CEV associated with disease outbreaks. Although the structure of the CEV genome is not yet elucidated, molecular epidemiology studies have suggested distinct geographical populations of CEV infecting both koi and common carp. Detection and identification of cases of CEVD in common carp were unreliable using the original PCR primers. New primers for conventional and quantitative PCR (qPCR) have been designed that improve detection, and their sequences are provided in this paper. The qPCR primers have successfully detected CEV DNA in archive material from investigations of unexplained carp mortalities conducted >15 yr ago. Improvement in disease management and control is possible, and the principles of biosecurity, good health management and disease surveillance, applied to koi herpesvirus disease, can be equally applied to CEVD. However, further research studies are needed to fill the knowledge gaps in the disease pathogenesis and epidemiology that, currently, prevent an accurate assessment of the likely impact of CEVD on European koi and common carp aquaculture and on wild carp stocks.
Topics: Animals; Carps; Europe; Fish Diseases; Poxviridae; Poxviridae Infections
PubMed: 29044045
DOI: 10.3354/dao03164 -
Annals of Agricultural and... 2013Although smallpox was eradicated over 30 years ago, the disease remains a major threat. High mortality, high infectivity and low resistance of the contemporary... (Review)
Review
Although smallpox was eradicated over 30 years ago, the disease remains a major threat. High mortality, high infectivity and low resistance of the contemporary population make the smallpox virus very attractive to terrorists. The possible presence of illegal stocks of the virus or risk of deliberate genetic modifications cause serious concerns among experts. Hence, it is reasonable to seek effective drugs that could be used in case of smallpox outbreak. This paper reviews studies on compounds with proven in vitro or in vivo antipoxviruses potential, which show various mechanisms of action. Nucleoside analogues, such as cidofovir, can inhibit virus replication. Cidofovir derivatives are developed to improve the bioavailability of the drug. Among the nucleoside analogues under current investigation are: ANO (adenozine N1-oxide) and its derivatives, N-methanocarbothymidine [(N)-MCT], or derivatitives of aciklovir, peninclovir and brivudin. Recently, ST-246 - which effectively inhibits infection by limiting release of progeny virions - has become an object of attention. It has been also been demonstrated that compounds such as: nigericin, aptamers and peptides may have antiviral potential. An interesting strategy to fight infections was presented in experiments aimed at defining the role of individual genes (E3L, K3L or C6L) in the pathogenesis, and looking for their potential blockers. Additionally, among substances considered to be effective in the treatment of smallpox cases, there are factors that can block viral inhibitors of the human complement system, epidermal growth factor inhibitors or immunomodulators. Further studies on compounds with activity against poxviruses are necessary in order to broaden the pool of available means that could be used in the case of a new outbreak of smallpox.
Topics: Animals; Antiviral Agents; Humans; Orthopoxvirus; Poxviridae Infections
PubMed: 23540204
DOI: No ID Found -
Virology Jan 2006Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays a critical role in the elimination of virus-infected cells. As a result, a growing number of viruses encode numerous potent... (Review)
Review
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, plays a critical role in the elimination of virus-infected cells. As a result, a growing number of viruses encode numerous potent anti-apoptotic proteins to counteract apoptosis in an effort to prolong their own survival. This review describes the numerous mechanisms by which poxviruses inhibit apoptosis thereby modulating life and death of the cell.
Topics: Animals; Antigens, Helminth; Apoptosis; Cell Death; Helminth Proteins; Humans; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; Mitochondria; Poxviridae; Poxviridae Infections; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; Serpins; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Viral Proteins; Virus Replication
PubMed: 16364745
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2005.09.032 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Apr 2021We obtained the complete sequence of a novel poxvirus, tentatively named Brazilian porcupinepox virus, from a wild porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) in Brazil that had...
We obtained the complete sequence of a novel poxvirus, tentatively named Brazilian porcupinepox virus, from a wild porcupine (Coendou prehensilis) in Brazil that had skin and internal lesions characteristic of poxvirus infection. The impact of this lethal poxvirus on the survival of this species and its potential zoonotic importance remain to be investigated.
Topics: Brazil; Genomics; Humans; Phylogeny; Poxviridae; Poxviridae Infections
PubMed: 33754985
DOI: 10.3201/eid2704.203818 -
PLoS Pathogens Oct 2018The recent de novo assembly of horsepox is an instructive example of an information hazard: published methods enabling poxvirus synthesis led to media coverage spelling...
The recent de novo assembly of horsepox is an instructive example of an information hazard: published methods enabling poxvirus synthesis led to media coverage spelling out the implications, efficiently disseminating true information that might be used to cause harm. Whether or not the benefits justified the risks, the horsepox saga provides ample reason to upgrade the current system for screening synthesized DNA for hazardous sequences, which does not cover the majority of firms and cannot reliably prevent the assembly of potentially pandemic pathogens. An upgraded system might leverage one-way encryption to confidentially scrutinize virtually all commercial production by a cooperative international network of servers whose integrity can be verified by third parties. Funders could support participating institutions to ease the transition or outright subsidize the market to make clean DNA cheaper, while boycotts by journals, institutions, and funders could ensure compliance and require hardware-level locks on future DNA synthesizers. However, the underlying problem is that security and safety discussions among experts typically follow potentially hazardous events rather than anticipating them. Changing norms and incentives to favor preregistration and advisory peer review of planned experiments could test alternatives to the current closeted research model in select areas of science. Because the fields of synthetic mammalian virology and especially gene drive research involve technologies that could be unilaterally deployed and may self-replicate in the wild, they are compelling candidates for initial trials of early-stage peer review.
Topics: Biohazard Release; Biomedical Research; Humans; Information Dissemination; Orthopoxvirus; Pandemics; Poxviridae Infections; Risk Assessment; Safety Management
PubMed: 30286188
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007286 -
Journal of Virology Oct 2017The castaneous (CAST) mouse, a wild-derived inbred strain, is highly susceptible to orthopoxvirus infection by intranasal and systemic routes. The 50% lethal...
The castaneous (CAST) mouse, a wild-derived inbred strain, is highly susceptible to orthopoxvirus infection by intranasal and systemic routes. The 50% lethal intraperitoneal dose of vaccinia virus (VACV) was 3 PFU for CAST mice, whereas BALB/c mice survived 10 PFU. At all times and in all organs analyzed, virus titers were higher in CAST than in BALB/c mice. In individual CAST mice, luciferase-expressing VACV was seen to replicate rapidly leading to death, whereas virus levels increased for a few days and then declined in BALB/c mice. Increases in gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were delayed and low in CAST mice compared to BALB/c mice following VACV infection or poly(I-C) inoculation, consistent with differences in innate immune responses. In addition, naive CAST mice had considerably lower numbers of NK and T cells than BALB/c mice. The percentage of IFN-γ-producing CD4 and CD8 T cells increased following infection of CAST mice only after considerable virus spread, and the absolute cell numbers remained low. Administration of exogenous IFN-γ or -α to CAST mice before or during the first days of infection suppressed virus replication and prolonged survival, allowing the mice to make adaptive CD4 and CD8 T cell responses that were necessary to clear the virus after cessation of interferon treatment. Thus, insufficient innate cytokine and cellular immune responses contribute to the unique susceptibility of CAST mice to VACV, whereas the adaptive immune response can be protective only if virus replication is suppressed during the first several days of infection. Most inbred mouse strains are relatively resistant to orthopoxviruses. The castaneous (CAST) mouse is a notable exception, exhibiting extreme vulnerability to monkeypox virus, cowpox virus, and vaccinia virus and thus providing a unique model for studying pathogenicity, immunity, vaccines, and antiviral drugs. To fully utilize the CAST mouse for such purposes, it is necessary to understand the basis for virus susceptibility. We showed that naive CAST mice make low IFN-γ and TNF-α responses and have low levels of NK cells and CD4 and CD8 T cells compared to a resistant classical inbred mouse strain. Attenuating virus replication with one or more doses of exogenous IFN-α or -γ before or during the first few days of infection enabled the development of adaptive cellular immunity and clearance of virus. Further genetic studies may reveal the basis for the low innate immunity.
Topics: Animals; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Cell Line; Chlorocebus aethiops; Female; Immunity, Innate; Interferon-gamma; Killer Cells, Natural; Lymphocyte Count; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Poxviridae Infections; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Vaccinia virus; Virus Replication
PubMed: 28747505
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01042-17