Concerns have arisen recently about the possible use of smallpox for a bioterrorism attack. Routine smallpox vaccination was discontinued in Japan in 1976; however, it is uncertain exactly how long vaccination-induced immunity lasts. We sought to evaluate the seroprevalence and intensity of anti-smallpox immunity among representatives of the present Japanese population. The subjects included 87...

The treat of bioterrorism means it is important to be able to diagnose smallpox. The responsibility for the initial recognition of cases lies with clinicians, and early diagnosis is the key to the successful control of an outbreak. Unless rapidly contained, a bioterrorist release of smallpox would constitute not just a national but a global threat to health. This brief review sets smallpox in i...

Various studies have been made on the antibody response in smallpox. In some of these haemagglutinin inhibition tests (HI) have been used for measurement of antibody (Collier & Schonfeld, 1950) in others, complement-fixation tests (CFT), precipitation tests (pt.) and HI tests (Herrlich, Mayr & Mahnel, 1959) or CF, HI and neutralization tests (Downie & McCarthy, 1958). In the present study, all ...

The currently used smallpox vaccine is associated with a high incidence of adverse events, and there is a serious need for a safe and effective alternative vaccine. Here, we carried out a longitudinal evaluation of vaccinia virus-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells in smallpox-vaccinated individuals by using a highly sensitive intracellular cytokine staining assay. Our results demonstrate that, in add...

Prospects for the eradication of smallpox are now highly encouraging. With the cessation of man-to-man transmission, the question of possible animal reservoirs of smallpox becomes increasingly important. During the period 1970-1975, 20 cases of a smallpox-like disease were detected in smallpox-free areas of tropical rain forest in West and Central Africa. Epidemiological and virological investi...

hen the World Health Organization declared smallpox eradicated in 1979, smallpox vaccination was discontinued worldwide. Although cessation of smallpox vaccination is well justifi ed, given the risks associated with complications from the vaccine, lack of vaccination nevertheless creates a growing population of persons now susceptible to infection by a few poxviruses previously covered by the s...

Smallpox in its endemic form in this country (variola minor or alastrim) is seen sporadically and as a rather mild disease. Variola major, on the other hand, is a serious epidemic disease, but fortunately is experienced rarely within the continental limits of the United States. In fact, in recent years it has occurred so infrequently that the experience gained in one outbreak is generally lost ...

T his is the second article in a series of papers addressing issues related to biological warfare and bioterrorism. As outlined in the historical review of biological warfare (1), smallpox is one of the most devastating diseases that could potentially be used as a biological weapon. In fact, smallpox was for many centuries devastating to mankind. However, the remarkable efforts of the World Hea...