Vaccinia virus as an expression vector.

Vaccinia virus (Vv) is a member of the genus Orthopoxvirus, one of seven genera included in the family Poxviridae. Most of these viruses infect vertebrates (Orthopoxvirus, Avipoxvirus, Capripoxvirus, Leporipoxvirus, Suipoxvirus, and Parapoxvirus), but one genus, Entomopoxvirus, infects insects. It is interesting to note that the Fibroma and Mixoma viruses of the leporipoxvirus genus cause tumors in their hosts (rabbits), these being the only tumorigenic viruses in the family (1,2).