ABSTRACT
The family Poxviridae contains the largest known viruses of marine and terrestrial mammals. The genus Parapoxvirus is one of eight genera in the subfamily Chordopoxvirinae, of the Poxviridae family. Members of this genus are genetically and antigenically related and have similar morphology and host range. Like other poxviruses, parapoxviruses are large, double-stranded DNA viruses with an entirely cytoplasmic life cycle. Recognized members of genus Parapoxvirus currently include Orf virus (OrfV), Bovine papular stomatitis virus (BPSV), Pseudocowpoxvirus (PCPV), Parapoxvirus of red deer in New Zealand (PVNZ), and Squirrel parapoxvirus (SPPV) [1]. The classication has traditionally been based on natural host range and pathology, but has more recently also been determined with molecular methods, such as restriction enzyme analysis, hybridization, and DNA sequencing.
