IMMUNOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Cowpox is similar to, but much milder than, the highly contagious and often deadly smallpox disease. Its close resemblance to the mild form of smallpox and the observation that dairy farmers were immune to smallpox inspired the modern smallpox vaccine, created and administered by English physician Edward Jenner.

Detailed explanation-2: -Vaccination became widely accepted and gradually replaced the practice of variolation. At some point in the 1800s, the virus used to make the smallpox vaccine changed from cowpox to vaccinia virus.

Detailed explanation-3: -The orthopoxvirus variola, however, is a selective human pathogen. Variola is the causative agent of smallpox, which in 1980 was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be eradicated worldwide. Other orthopoxviruses known to infect humans are cowpox, vaccinia, and monkeypox.

Detailed explanation-4: -cowpox, also called vaccinia, uncommon mildly eruptive disease of animals, first observed in cows and occurring particularly in cats, that when transmitted to otherwise healthy humans produces immunity to smallpox. The cowpox virus is closely related to variola, the causative virus of smallpox.

Detailed explanation-5: -Cowpox is a skin disease caused by a virus belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus. Sporadic human cases of cowpox have been reported in Europe, mostly linked to handling of infected animal, usually rodents and cats. Human infection results from direct contact with an infected animal.

Detailed explanation-6: -Thousands of years ago, variola virus (smallpox virus) emerged and began causing illness and deaths in human populations, with smallpox outbreaks occurring from time to time.