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Human monkeypox and smallpox viruses: genomic comparison
Author(s) -
Shchelkunov Sergei N.,
Totmenin Alexei V.,
Babkin Igor V.,
Safronov Pavel F.,
Ryazankina Olga I.,
Petrov Nikolai A.,
Gutorov Valery V.,
Uvarova Elena A.,
Mikheev Maxim V.,
Sisler Jerry R.,
Esposito Joseph J.,
Jahrling Peter B.,
Moss Bernard,
Sandakhchiev Lev S.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(01)03144-1
Subject(s) - monkeypox , variola virus , smallpox , orthopoxvirus , virology , biology , vaccinia , genome , outbreak , poxviridae , virus , genetics , gene , vaccination , recombinant dna
Monkeypox virus (MPV) causes a human disease which resembles smallpox but with a lower person‐to‐person transmission rate. To determine the genetic relationship between the orthopoxviruses causing these two diseases, we sequenced the 197‐kb genome of MPV isolated from a patient during a large human monkeypox outbreak in Zaire in 1996. The nucleotide sequence within the central region of the MPV genome, which encodes essential enzymes and structural proteins, was 96.3% identical with that of variola (smallpox) virus (VAR). In contrast, there were considerable differences between MPV and VAR in the regions encoding virulence and host‐range factors near the ends of the genome. Our data indicate that MPV is not the direct ancestor of VAR and is unlikely to naturally acquire all properties of VAR.