Thanks to its resemblance to the smallpox virus, researchers were able to use vaccinia as a vaccine for the disease, eventually leading to its eradication in the late 1970s.
a poxvirus closely related to smallpox virus; causes benign gelatinous tumors in humans.
The U.S. smallpox viruses, which include samples from Britain, Japan and the Netherlands, are stored in liquid nitrogen.
It belongs to a group of viruses that includes the smallpox virus (variola), the virus used in the smallpox vaccine (vaccinia), and the cowpox virus.
