Emerging infectious diseases · 2001 · 459 citations · 19 references
Veterinary MedicineImmunologyInfectious DiseasesImmunizationVaccinologyZoonotic Disease EpidemiologyVaccinationViral ZoonosesZoonotic Disease VaccinesZoonotic InfectionsZoonotic Outbreak InvestigationZoonotic VirusesAttack RateHemagglutination AssaysHemagglutination Inhibition AssaysSusceptible Host PopulationsTransmissibilityWestern BlottingZoonotic Disease ReservoirsZoonotic Viral Diseases
Human monkeypox, a sporadic smallpox-like zoonotic viral exanthema that occurs in the rain forests of Central and West Africa, was discovered in 1970 (1-3). The illness is caused by an orthopoxvirus, monkeypox virus, which was first isolated from primate tissues (4). Animal antibody surveys in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC; former Zaire) suggested that squirrels play a major role as a reservoir of the virus and that humans are sporadically infected Human-to-human transmission occurs with an incubation period of 12 days (range 7-21 days) (3).
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