Micro 44: Poxviruses
This episode explores poxviruses, the largest and most structurally complex DNA viruses infecting humans. Drawing from Murray’s Chapter 44, it examines how these enveloped double-stranded DNA viruses uniquely replicate in the cytoplasm rather than the nucleus.
The narrative begins with structure: brick-shaped virions containing their own transcriptional machinery. Because they do not rely on host nuclear enzymes, they carry the proteins required for replication and mRNA synthesis.
The historical centrepiece is Variola virus, the cause of smallpox - a disease eradicated through global…
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