Christina L Hutson, Ashley V Kondas, Mathew R Mauldin, Jeffrey B Doty, Irma M Grossi, Clint N Morgan, Sharon Dietz Ostergaard, Christine M Hughes, Yoshinori Nakazawa, Chantal Kling, Brock E Martin, James A Ellison, Darin S Carroll, Nadia F Gallardo-Romero, Victoria A Olson
Smallpox, caused by Variola virus (VARV), was eradicated in 1980; however, VARV bioterrorist threats still exist, necessitating readily available therapeutics. Current preparedness activities recognize the importance of oral antivirals and recommend therapeutics with different mechanisms of action. Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is closely related to VARV, causing a highly similar clinical human disease, and can be used as a surrogate for smallpox antiviral testing. The prairie dog MPXV model has been characterized and used to study the efficacy of antipoxvirus therapeutics, including recently approved TPOXX (tecovirimat)...
February 3, 2021: MSphere