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Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Vaccinia Reporter Viruses for Quantifying Viral Function at All Stages of Gene Expression
Published on: May 15, 2014
Absence of pharyngeal shedding of vaccinia following smallpox vaccination
Thomas R Talbot1, Jody Peters, Peter F Wright
1Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232, USA. tom.talbot@vanderbilt.edu
Abstract:
To examine oral shedding of vaccinia in volunteers who were recently vaccinated against smallpox, pharyngeal swabs were collected for viral culture between days 3 and 5 and days 6 and 8 after vaccination with diluted Sanofi Pasteur smallpox vaccine. From 102 adult volunteers (48 vaccinia-naive, 54 vaccinia-experienced), vaccinia was not detected in any specimen (0/201, 95% confidence interval, 0-1.8), which suggests a lack of oral shedding of vaccinia after immunization. This supports recommendations that individuals who were recently vaccinated against smallpox do not require placement in airborne or droplet precautions.
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