pox disease

pox disease

      any of a complex of viral diseases in human beings and domestic animals, marked chiefly by eruptions of the skin and mucous membranes. Sheep pox and rabbit pox are spread by airborne infectious particles that are inhaled. Horse pox, fowl pox, and mouse pox usually are spread by skin contact. cowpox (vaccinia) and pseudocowpox (paravaccinia), localized on the udder and teats of cows, are transmissible to human beings by skin contact. Horse pox (contagious pustular stomatitis) is now rare. Swine pox, of two types, is prevalent but rarely fatal. Sheep pox, the most severe pox disease of domestic animals, and goat pox are now confined to parts of southeastern Europe, North Africa, and Asia.

      Effective vaccines are available for most pox diseases, though outbreaks have continued. Buffalopox was reported in Maharashtra, India, in the 1990s. monkeypox, which was first identified in 1958 and found primarily in Africa, was cited in the United States in 2003.

       smallpox, a pox disease known in human beings as early as 1122 BC, was declared eradicated in 1979. In 2000 accidental exposure to smallpox vaccine (made from a virus related to smallpox) resulted in an isolated outbreak in Russia. Only two laboratories—in Russia and in the United States—were known to have live samples of smallpox in the 21st century.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • pox disease — carp pox (one of the oldest known fish diseases found in cultured carp, other cyprinids, pike perch and aquarium fishes. It is caused by Herpesvirus cyprini. Also known as carp papillomatosis, epithelioma papulosum, fish pox, cyprinid herpesvirus …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • pox — [pɔks US pa:ks] n old use [Date: 1300 1400; Origin: pocks, plural of pock mark on the skin , from Old English pocc] 1.) the pox a) the disease ↑syphilis b) the disease ↑smallpox 2.) …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • Pox — can refer to: *A disease characterized by purulent skin eruptions that may leave pockmarks, often caused by various animal viruses. *Orthopoxviruses **Smallpox (aka the pox ) **Monkeypox **Cowpox **Molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) *Herpes… …   Wikipedia

  • pox — ► NOUN 1) any disease caused by a virus and producing a rash of pimples that become pus filled and leave pockmarks on healing. 2) (the pox) historical smallpox. 3) (the pox) informal syphilis. ● a pox on Cf. ↑a pox on …   English terms dictionary

  • Pox — Pox, n. [For pocks, OE. pokkes. See {Pock}. It is plural in form but is used as a singular.] (Med.) Strictly, a disease by pustules or eruptions of any kind, but chiefly or wholly restricted to three or four diseases, the smallpox, the chicken… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • disease — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Condition of ill health Nouns 1. disease, illness, sickness, ailment, ailing; morbidity, infirmity, ailment, indisposition; complaint, disorder, malady; functional disorder. 2. condition, affliction,… …   English dictionary for students

  • pox — 1. An eruptive disease, usually qualified by a descriptive prefix; e.g., smallpox, cowpox, chickenpox. See the specific term. 2. Archaic or colloquial term for syphilis. [var. of pl. pocks] Kaffir p. SYN: alastrim. * * * point of exit * …   Medical dictionary

  • Pox party — A pox party, or flu party or flu fling, is an activity where children are deliberately exposed to a virus to promote immunity. Such parties are typically organized by parents on the premise of building the immune systems of their children against …   Wikipedia

  • pox — Synonyms and related words: French disease, Spanish pox, VD, acquired syphilis, balanitis gangrenosa, cerebral tabes, chancre, chancroid, clap, claps, climatic bubo, congenital syphilis, constitutional syphilis, dose, dose of clap, fifth venereal …   Moby Thesaurus

  • pox — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. smallpox, chicken pox, cow pox, variola, varicella, vaccinia; papules, maculas, vesicles, pus tules; acne, eruption, breaking out; pocks, pockmarks; curse (see imprecation). See disease. II (Roget s… …   English dictionary for students

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