Poxvirus viability and signatures in historical relics

Abstract

Although it has been >30 years since the eradication of smallpox, the unearthing of well-preserved tissue material in which the virus may reside has called into question the viability of variola virus decades or centuries after its original occurrence. Experimental data to address the long-term stability and viability of the virus are limited. There are several instances of well-preserved corpses and tissues that have been examined for poxvirus viability and viral DNA. These historical specimens cause concern for potential exposures, and each situation should be approached cautiously and independently with the available information. Nevertheless, these specimens provide information on the history of a major disease and vaccination against it.

Keywords: artifacts; historical relics; mummies; orthopoxvirus; poxvirus; signatures; smallpox; smallpox virus; vaccinia; variola; viability; viruses.

Figure 1

Patient with smallpox. Photograph by Jean Roy, provided by the Public Health Image Library, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Figure 2

Mummified remains of a woman buried in an iron coffin, New York, New York, USA, mid-1800s. Photograph provided by Don Weiss.

Figure 3

Recovered crusts. A) Lesion crust material from Virginia, USA, photographed after gamma irradiation. Photograph by James Gathany. B) Lesion crust material from an envelope contained within a book, New Mexico, USA, nineteenth century. Photograph by Russell L. Regnery. C) Lesion crust material from a jar on display in a museum, Arkansas, USA. Photograph provided by Erin Goldman.