"White-wild" (variola-like) poxvirus strains from rodents in Equatorial Africa

Strains of variola-like virus were isolated from rodents, namely 1 each from Mastomys coucha (fam. Muridae) and Helioscorus rufobrachium (fam. Sciuridae) in the Bumba zone of the Equatorial province of the Zaire Republic. Attempts to isolate the virus from 48 monkeys were negative. Neutralizing antibodies were found in 1 of 7 monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) sera examined as well as in the serum of H. rufobrachium from which the virus was isolated.