Poxviridae

Poxviridae is a family of double-stranded DNA viruses. Vertebrates and arthropods serve as natural hosts. The family contains 22 genera that are assigned to two subfamilies: Chordopoxvirinae and Entomopoxvirinae. Entomopoxvirinae infect insects and Chordopoxvirinae infect vertebrates. Diseases associated with this family include smallpox.

Four genera of poxviruses can infect humans: Orthopoxvirus, Parapoxvirus, Yatapoxvirus, Molluscipoxvirus. Orthopoxvirus: smallpox virus (variola), vaccinia virus, cowpox virus, Mpox virus; Parapoxvirus: orf virus, pseudocowpox, bovine papular stomatitis virus; Yatapoxvirus: tanapox virus, yaba monkey tumor virus; Molluscipoxvirus: molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV). The most common are vaccinia (seen on the Indian subcontinent) and molluscum contagiosum, but Mpox infections are rising (seen in west and central African rainforest countries). The similarly named disease chickenpox is not caused by a poxvirus, but by varicella zoster, a herpesvirus. Parapoxvirus and orthopoxvirus genera are zoonotic.