viruses associated with diseases that produced poxes on the skin. Modern viral classification is based on phenotypic characteristics; morphology, nucleic acid type, mode of replication, host organisms, and the type of disease they cause. The smallpox virus remains the most notable member of the family.

History

Diseases caused by poxviruses, especially smallpox, have been known about for centuries. One of the earliest suspected cases is that of Egyptian

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