Skip to main content
Bulletin of the World Health Organization logoLink to Bulletin of the World Health Organization
. 1972;46(5):569–576.

Human monkeypox*

Stanley O Foster, Edward W Brink, Deane L Hutchins, John M Pifer, Bernard Lourie, Claude R Moser, Evelyn C Cummings, OEK Kuteyi, Reginald E A Eke, J B Titus, E Ademola Smith, James W Hicks, William H Foege
PMCID: PMC2480784  PMID: 4340216

Abstract

Between October 1970 and May 1971, six cases of human infection with monkeypox virus were identified in Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Four of the cases were confirmed by virus isolation and two were diagnosed on the basis of epidemiological and serological investigations. All the cases occurred in unvaccinated individuals.

Post-infection serological studies showed high haemagglutination-inhibition and neutralizing titres to pox group virus in four of the cases. Repeated challenge vaccination of all cases with potent smallpox vaccine resulted in equivocal reactions.

In all, 24 susceptible household contacts were exposed to the infected cases, but none developed disease. All the contacts subsequently responded to vaccination with a primary reaction, thus confirming their susceptibility and ruling out asymptomatic infection.

Full text

PDF
576

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Arita I., Henderson D. A. Smallpox and monkeypox in non-human primates. Bull World Health Organ. 1968;39(2):277–283. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Gispen R., Verlinde J. D., Zwart P. Histopathological and virological studies on monkeypox. Arch Gesamte Virusforsch. 1967;21(2):205–216. doi: 10.1007/BF01241445. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. HAHON N., McGAVRAN M. H. Air-borne infectivity of the variola-vaccinia group of poxviruses for the cynomolgus monkey, Macaca irus. J Infect Dis. 1961 Nov-Dec;109:294–298. doi: 10.1093/infdis/109.3.294. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Ladnyj I. D., Ziegler P., Kima E. A human infection caused by monkeypox virus in Basankusu Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Bull World Health Organ. 1972;46(5):593–597. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lourie B., Bingham P. G., Evans H. H., Foster S. O., Nakano J. H., Herrmann K. L. Human infection with monkeypox virus: laboratory investigation of six cases in West Africa. Bull World Health Organ. 1972;46(5):633–639. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. MCCONNELL S., HERMAN Y. F., MATTSON D. E., HUXSOLL D. L., LANG C. M., YAGER R. H. PROTECTION OF RHESUS MONKEYS AGAINST MONKEYPOX BY VACCINIA VIRUS IMMUNIZATION. Am J Vet Res. 1964 Jan;25:192–195. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Marennikova S. S., Seluhina E. M., Mal'ceva N. N., Ladnyj I. D. Poxviruses isolated from clinically ill and asymptomatically infected monkeys and a chimpanzee. Bull World Health Organ. 1972;46(5):613–620. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Noble J., Jr, Rich J. A. Trsmission of smallpox by contact and by aerosol routes in Macaca irus. Bull World Health Organ. 1969;40(2):279–286. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. PRIER J. E., SAUER R. M. A pox disease of monkeys. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1960 May 12;85:951–959. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1960.tb50015.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. SAUER R. M., PRIER J. E., BUCHANAN R. S., CREAMER A. A., FEGLEY H. C. Studies on a pox disease of monkeys. I. Pathology. Am J Vet Res. 1960 May;21:377–380. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Wenner H. A., Macasaet F. D., Kamitsuka P. S., Kidd P. Monkey pox. I. Clinical, virologic and immunologic studies. Am J Epidemiol. 1968 May;87(3):551–566. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a120846. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Bulletin of the World Health Organization are provided here courtesy of World Health Organization

RESOURCES