Las diferencias del virus de alastrim

Abstract

The article describes the advantages of the Dumbell and Coll technique for differentiating smallpox viruses (major and minor) in chick embryos inoculated in chorioallantoic membrane, incubating the embryos at 35 degrees Centigrade and 38.5 degrees Centigrade. It is also shown that virus isolated from an outbreak among natives in the border area with Brazil was virus variola minor (alastrim) as it only formed pustules at 35 degrees Centigrade and was negative at 38.5 degree Centigrade in the C.A.M. of embryos inoculated with scabs from such cases. There has not been any smallpox in Venezuela since 1954, due to the systematic organization of anti-smallpox vaccination. The author recommends, however, that as long as there are certain areas on the American Continent where smallpox still exists, representing a danger also to the best protected countries, systematic anati-smallpox vaccination whould be continued in order to avoid exposure, as in the present case, to the disease. Likewise, scabs from varicella patients in various urban areas were studied by the author(AU)