Poxvirus

Many poxviruses are pathogens affecting humans or animals. Smallpox was one of the worst infectious diseases in human history and remains a bioterrorism concern despite its eradication from nature. Animal poxviruses cause significant economic losses for agricultural industries and are a source for zoonotic outbreaks. Poxviruses have complex virions and are considerably self-sufficient, thanks to a large genome coding for many proteins that regulate both viral and cellular processes. The study of this family of viruses has contributed greatly to our understanding of viral replication and host-pathogen interaction. Here we give a broad overview of the Poxviridae family, including details on its structure, genome, replication cycle, immune response, and immune evasion mechanisms.