Marchal (285) and Downie (126) bodies, respectively. Because of the ambiguity associated with describing structures solely on the basis of their reaction with various histochemical stains, Kato et al. (253) carefully examined the virusspecific cytoplasmic structures of a large number of poxvirus species and, using a criterion based on morphologic observations, histochemical staining, and immunochemical reactivity, suggested that the acidophilic and basophilic inclusion bodies be referred to as A-and B-type inclusion bodies, respectively. Under the auspices of a Poxvirus Subcommittee created at the Sixth International Congress for Microbiology in 1953, Fenner and Burnet (161) wrote a review which summarized the characteristics of the poxvirus group. This article remains the basis for the subsequent classification of poxviruses. The poxvirus family is divided into two subfamilies: Entomopoxvirinae (poxviruses of the insects) and Chordopoxvirinae (poxviruses of the vertebrates); the latter group of viruses is the focus of this review (Table 1). The vertebrate poxviruses share a group-specific NP antigen (511) and are able, in a reciprocal fashion, to participate in nongenetic reactivation (160, 168). This is a process whereby an infectious poxvirus is able to reactivate a second, heatinactivated poxvirus, as indicated by the production of progeny virus. Poxviruses were further classified into genera by comparing cross-protection in animal studies, crossneutralization of infectivity in tissue culture, and crosshybridization of genomic DNA from virions. This latter criterion is now the method of choice for preliminary classification of poxvirus isolates. In general, members of the same genera have similar morphology and biological properties. Virion Morphology Poxviruses are the largest of all animal viruses and can be visualized by light microscopy, although the details of the