Abstract：
Variola virus is an anthroponotic agent that belongs to the orthopoxvirus family. It is an etiological agent of smallpox, an ancient disease that caused massive mortality of human populations. Twentieth century has witnessed the death of about 300 million people due to the unavailability of an effective vaccine. Early detection is the primary strategy to prevent an outbreak of smallpox. Variola virus forms the characteristic pus-filled pustules and centrifugal rash distribution in the infected patients while transmission occurs mainly through respiratory droplets during the early stage of infection. No antiviral drugs are approved for variola virus till date. Generation of first-generation vaccines helped in the eradication of smallpox which was declared by the World Health Organization.
摘要：
天花病毒是一种属于正痘病毒家族的降红剂。它是天花的病原体，一种导致人类大量死亡的古老疾病。由于缺乏有效的疫苗，二十世纪见证了约3亿人的死亡。早期发现是预防天花爆发的主要策略。天花病毒在感染患者中形成特征性的脓疱和离心皮疹分布，而在感染早期主要通过呼吸道飞沫传播。迄今为止，尚未批准用于天花病毒的抗病毒药物。第一代疫苗有助于根除世界卫生组织宣布的天花。
