Treatment and Vaccination for Smallpox and Monkeypox

Abstract

The smallpox infection with the variola virus was one of the most fatal disorders until a global eradication was initiated in the twentieth century. The last cases were reported in Somalia 1977 and as a laboratory infection in the UK 1978; in 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared smallpox for extinct. The smallpox virus with its very high transmissibility and mortality is still a major biothreat, because the vaccination against smallpox was stopped globally in the 1980s. For this reason, new antivirals (cidofovir, brincidofovir, and tecovirimat) and new vaccines (ACAM2000, LC16m8 and Modified Vaccine Ankara MVA) were developed. For passive immunization, vaccinia immune globulin intravenous (VIGIV) is available. Due to the relationships between orthopox viruses such as vaccinia, variola, mpox (monkeypox), cowpox, and horsepox, the vaccines (LC16m8 and MVA) and antivirals (brincidofovir and tecovirimat) could also be used in the mpox outbreak with positive preliminary data. As mutations can result in drug resistance against cidofovir or tecovirimat, there is need for further research. Further antivirals (NIOCH-14 and ST-357) and vaccines (VACΔ6 and TNX-801) are being developed in Russia and the USA. In conclusion, further research for treatment and prevention of orthopox infections is needed and is already in progress. After a brief introduction, this chapter presents the smallpox and mpox disease and thereafter full overviews on antiviral treatment and vaccination including the passive immunization with vaccinia immunoglobulins.

Keywords: Brincidofovir; Immunoglobulins; Monkeypox; Mpox; Orthopox; Smallpox; Tecovirimat; Vaccinia; Variola; Virokines.