MONKEY POX. I. CLINICAL, VIROLOGIC AND IMMUNOLOGIC STUDIES

Wenner, H. A. (Dep't. of Pediatrics, Univ. of Kansas Med. Ctr., Kansas Gty, Kara. 66103), F. D. Macasaet, P. S. Kamitsuka and P. Kidd. Monkey pox. I. Clinical, virologic and immunologic studies. Amer. J. Epid., 1968, 87: 551–556.—Monkeys inoculated with monkey pox virus (MPV) regularly develop a pox eruption. The rash is more pronounced in cynomolgus (M. irus) than in rhesus (M. mulatto) monkeys. Viremia was demonstrable in 11 of 34 experimentally infected animals. MPV was recovered principally from spleen and lymph nodes during the preeruptive period, from several other visceral organs at onset of rash, and from cutaneous lesions and lymph nodes for several days after onset of rash. Specific antibodies developed at the time of appearance, or shortly after onset of rash. Hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies reached maximal levels and declined during the period when serum neutralizing antibodies were rising. Histologically, the reactions of injury resemble those described for variola and vaccinia. Monkeys recovering from monkey pox were immune to vaccinia virus. A comparison of our data with others indicates that pathogenetic features of MPV infection resemble those described for variola.