Cowpox it's not. (Letters).
"The Vaccinia vac·cin·i·a
n.
1. See cowpox.
2. An infection induced in humans by inoculation with the vaccinia virus in order to confer resistance to smallpox; it is usually limited to the site of inoculation. Dilemma" (SN: 4/5/03, p. 218) twice refers to vaccinia as "cowpox cowpox, infectious disease of cows caused by a virus related to the virus of smallpox. Also called variola, it is characterized by pustular lesions on the teats and udder. virus." The two are actually two separate viruses. It is unclear exactly where vaccinia comes from, as it isn't a naturally occurring virus. It is thought that the strain of cowpox used for vaccinations has, over the years, mutated into a new, genetically distinct virus.
PAUL MATZ MATZ Military Aerodrome Traffic Zone , PHILADELPHIA, PA.
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