Adventitious viruses and smallpox vaccine.To the Editor: Recently, Murphy and Osburn (1) strongly argued for testing old smallpox vaccine stocks made in animal skin for adventitious 1. accidental or acquired; not natural or hereditary. 2. found out of the normal or usual place. 3. adventitial. ad·ven·ti·tious (  d infectious agents such as viruses, mycoplasmas my·co·plas·mas or my·co·plas·ma·ta (-m -t) A microorganism of the genus Mycoplasma. Also called pleuropneumonia-like organism. , and eventually, prions. Their argument appears clearly justified after unexpected cases of myopericarditis myopericarditis /myo·peri·car·di·tis/ (mi?o-per?i-kahr-di´tis) myocarditis combined with pericarditis.my·o·per·i·car·di·tis (m  occurred during recent campaigns of smallpox vaccinations in the United States (2). To the long list of bovine viruses cited in this paper, it seems necessary to add another, the pseudocowpox virus, a widespread parapoxvirus Parapoxvirus /Para·pox·vi·rus/ (-poks´vi-rus) parapoxviruses; a genus of viruses comprising viruses of ungulates, including those causing orf and paravaccinia. that may infect humans. During the 1960s, this virus was identified in vaccine lymph from a heifer at the Institut Pasteur Louis 1822-1895. French chemist who founded modern microbiology, invented pasteurization, and developed vaccines for anthrax, rabies, and chicken cholera. In humans, this virus is responsible for limited skin lesions, more frequently in immunocompromised immunocompromised /im·mu·no·com·pro·mised/ (-kom´pro-mizd) having the immune response attenuated by administration of immunosuppressive drugs, by irradiation, by malnutrition, or by certain disease processes (e.g., cancer). im·mu·no·com·pro·mised ( patients. Mainly farmers and butchers are affected. Pseudocowpox virus is easily differentiated from orthopoxviruses Orthopoxvirus /Or·tho·pox·vi·rus/ (or´tho-poks-vi?rus) a genus of viruses of the subfamily Chordopoxvirinae (family Poxviridae) that cause generalized infections with a rash in mammals, including cowpox, monkeypox, and variola viruses. Or·tho·pox·vi·rus such as vaccinia virus by the virus's peculiar form on transmission electron microscopy scan, but polymerase chain reaction 1. A series of events in which each induces or influences the next. 2. A series of chemical reactions in which one product of a reacting set is a reactant in the following set. 3. A multistage nuclear reaction, especially a self-sustaining series of fissions in which the release of neutrons from the splitting of one atom leads to the splitting of others. Claude Chastel, Virus Laboratory, Brest Brest, city, FranceBrest (brĕst), city (1990 pop. 153,099), Finistère dept., NW France, on an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a commercial port, an important naval station, and the seat of the French Naval Academy. There is a national engineering school in Brest and nearby is the Oceanographic Center of Brittany., FranceReferences (1.) Murphy FA, Osburn BI. Adventitious agents in smallpox vaccine in strategic national stockpile. Emerg Infect Dis. 2005;11:1086-9. (2.) Arness MK, Eckart RE, Love SS, Atwood JE, Wells TS, Engler RJ, et al. Myopericarditis following smallpox vaccination. Am J Epidemiol. 2004;160:642-51. (3.) Pournaki R, Vieuchange J, Lepine P, Fasquelle R. Isolement d'un virus distinct du virus vaccinal au cours de passages d'une lymphe vaccinale de genisse. Ann Inst Pasteur. 1964;107:173-83. (4.) Inoshima Y, Morooka A, Sentsui H. Detection and diagnosis of parapoxvirus by the polymerase chain reaction. J Virol Methods. 2000;84:201-8. Address for correspondence: Claude Chastel, Laboratoire de Virologic, Faculte de Medecine, F-29 200, Brest, France; fax: 33-2-98-01-64-74; email:chastelc@aol.com |
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