The poxvirus family includes a large number of related DNA viruses that infect various vertebrate hosts. The poxviruses responsible for infections in humans, along with the main manifestations of these infections, are listed in Table 176-1. Infections with orthopoxviruses—., smallpox (variola major) virus (Chap. 214) or the zoonotic monkeypox virus—can result in systemic, potentially lethal human disease. Other poxvirus infections cause primarily localized skin disease in humans. Table 176-1 Poxviruses and Human Infections Genus Orthopoxvirus Species Variolaa Monkeypox Vaccinia Cowpox Molluscipoxvirus Molluscum contagiosum Parapoxvirus Orf Pseudocowpox Tanapox Human Disease Smallpox, systemic Smallpox-like, systemic Local pox lesion, occasionally systemic Local.
