Smallpox News and Research

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Smallpox is a highly contagious disease caused by the variola virus, a member of the Orthopox virus family. It is one of the most devastating diseases known to humanity, with a mortality rate as high as 30%. In 1967, the World Health Organization embarked upon an intensified vaccination campaign to eliminate smallpox, which culminated in the successful eradication of the disease globally by 1980.

By the mid-1980s, there were only two known repositories of variola virus: the Institute of Virus Preparations in Russia, and the US CDC. The events in the US in September and October 2001 highlighted the risk that the variola virus might be used as an agent of bioterrorism. Governments around the world are taking precautionary measures to be ready to deal with a potential smallpox outbreak.

How does the ISG15/ISGylation system modulate Vaccinia virus infection?

Researchers demonstrated how interferon-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) is involved in the Vaccinia virus (VACV) dissemination.

1 Nov 2022

'What pediatricians need to know' about monkeypox in children

Children aged 8 years or younger should be considered a group at high risk for more severe monkeypox disease, reports The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, the official journal of The European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

28 Oct 2022

UC San Diego participates in national trial to assess potential treatment for human monkeypox

The University of California San Diego will be one of multiple sites assessing the safety and efficacy of tecovirimat as a potential treatment for human monkeypox.

27 Oct 2022

Researchers use models developed for COVID-19 predictions to predict and simulate monkeypox transmission and vaccination scenarios

Researchers estimated monkeypox virus transmission and simulated vaccination scenarios using models developed for COVID-19 estimations.

25 Oct 2022

Monkeypox virus infection and its persistence in the testes of infected crab-eating macaques

Researchers performed retrospective detection of the monkeypox virus in the testes of nonhuman primates.

22 Oct 2022

Review of characteristics of human monkeypox

Researchers conducted a scoping review of available literature on monkeypox (MPX), in a new study.

20 Oct 2022

UK hospital study explores whether monkeypox can be transmitted through aerosolized droplets and fomites

Researchers conducted an observational study to determine environmental contamination with the monkeypox virus in the hospital isolation rooms of monkeypox patients to understand potential exposures to healthcare workers.

20 Oct 2022

Mass General Brigham sites announce participation in phase 3 trial of monkeypox treatment

Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, the founding members of Mass General Brigham, today announced their participation in STOMP (Study of Tecovirimat for Human Monkeypox Virus), a phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of tecovirimat (TPOXX) for the treatment of human monkeypox.

19 Oct 2022

Bioinformatics analysis of monkeypox virus-host cell interactions

A recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server reported the interaction between monkeypox and human cells. Molecular sequences were screened to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and their associated signal pathway, expression regulation, and metabolic pathways.

18 Oct 2022

Scientists detect monkeypox virus in the testes of macaques during acute infection

For the first time, scientists have detected monkeypox virus in the testes of macaques during the acute phase of infection, according to research published online today in the journal Nature Microbiology.

17 Oct 2022

Clinical trial to evaluate antiviral drug for monkeypox begins in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

A clinical trial to evaluate the antiviral drug tecovirimat, also known as TPOXX, in adults and children with monkeypox has begun in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

12 Oct 2022

The role of wastewater surveillance for monitoring monkeypox

A new study reviews the advantages and current challenges associated with wastewater-based surveillance of MPXV.

10 Oct 2022

What is the impact of monkeypox infection on the hemostatic system?

In a recent study, researchers determined if monkeypox (MPX) infection affected the hemostatic system like that observed in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

6 Oct 2022

Myocarditis may be attributable to monkeypox infection

A new study published in Emerging Infectious Diseases found that myocardial infiltration could cause myocarditis during monkeypox virus infection.

5 Oct 2022

Study finds the majority of post-vaccination monkeypox infections occur within 2 weeks of receiving the first dose of MVA-BN

Researchers described the human monkeypox virus infection after vaccination with the modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic (MVA-BN) vaccine.

5 Oct 2022

French study reports growing evidence of sexual activity-linked transmission of monkeypox

In a new study, researchers described patients with monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection.

3 Oct 2022

The management of monkeypox during pregnancy

In a recent correspondence, the authors responded to and clarified some of the contentions discussed in a letter to the editor about their August 2022 article on forecasting the risks of monkeypox in pregnant women.

30 Sep 2022

How effective are live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines?

Researchers opined on the use of live-attenuated whole virus vaccines as COVID-19 vaccines.

26 Sep 2022

Study compares monkeypox PCR testing protocols and efficiency at two U.S. reference labs

In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers examined sample collection practices, epidemiological characteristics, and cycle threshold (Ct) values for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests used in two reference laboratories in the United States (U.S.) to detect monkeypox virus (MPXV).

25 Sep 2022

How smallpox and monkeypox viruses affect the nervous system

A recent study provides an overview of existing literature on the complications of infection with both smallpox and monkeypox virus.