Image of Poxviridae

Description:

This montage of six transmission electron micrographs (TEM) depicted three different Poxviridae family members, and their morphologic similarities in both their M, or mulberry form, and their C, or capsular form. The three viruses include the cowpox, raccoonpox, and the gerbilpox viruses.

The Poxviridae viruses carry at their core, a genome composed of a single, linear double-stranded DNA segment. Before its eradication, one of the most infamous viruses known, the smallpox virus, Variola major, was a member of this family.
Created: 1975