cheetaman Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Is it because the thinner skin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area54 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 I am not convinced that it only infects humans, but if so this is because the smallpox virus evolved to function in human hosts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strange Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 Many diseases are quite host specific. Influenza is a disease of humans. Foot and mouth infects cattle and a few other species. There are a few diseases (zoonoses) which can be transmitted from animals to humans such as rabies, Ebola, cowpox, ... 36 minutes ago, cheetaman said: Is it because the thinner skin? Thinner than what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NimrodTheGoat Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 4 hours ago, Strange said: Thinner than what? I think he means that we appear to have thinner skin compared to other animals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharonY Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 The main transmission route is via inhalation, and subsequent infection via mucous surfaces. So skin thickness is not an issue. And of course animals have a wide range of different skin composition (not to mention that thickness even varies between body location), i.e. humans do not have thinner skin compared to other animals per se. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area54 Posted March 21, 2018 Share Posted March 21, 2018 20 minutes ago, CharonY said: i.e. humans do not have thinner skin compared to other animals per se. Some of the reactions to criticism by OPs in the Speculation subforum suggest otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endy0816 Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 It can actually infect other species, just not normally. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2004/10/monkeys-serve-first-animal-model-smallpox Somewhat interesting still using live cow pox to vaccinate against small pox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringJunky Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 26 minutes ago, Endy0816 said: It can actually infect other species, just not normally. http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2004/10/monkeys-serve-first-animal-model-smallpox Somewhat interesting still using live cow pox to vaccinate against small pox. AFAIK only research workers working on the virus get vaccinated now. The last case was in 1978 was when a lab researcher caught it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sensei Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Quote Why only human can get smallpox? "Experimental smallpox in chimpanzees" "In an attempt to prepare highly specific antiserum to variola virus, a chimpanzee was inoculated with a virulent human strain of this virus. Three uninoculated chimpanzees were housed in the same room; two of these developed clinical disease with seroconversion, while the third developed no evidence of infection and no antibody. The three animals that became ill also developed antibody to vaccinia and monkeypox viruses. Human contacts during the study and following a break in containment showed no evidence of infection as determined by serological tests and lack of clinical disease." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2395827/ There is more of such experiments, if you will search for keyword e.g. "smallpox chimpanzee".. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endy0816 Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 6 hours ago, StringJunky said: AFAIK only research workers working on the virus get vaccinated now. The last case was in 1978 was when a lab researcher caught it. US's Military is vaccinated. Are pretty low odds of ever running into it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringJunky Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 1 hour ago, Endy0816 said: US's Military is vaccinated. Are pretty low odds of ever running into it though. It probably has the highest risk of being used as a bioweapon, if one was ever going to be used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moontanman Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 Isn't smallpox thought to have jumped from cows to humans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endy0816 Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 7 hours ago, StringJunky said: It probably has the highest risk of being used as a bioweapon, if one was ever going to be used. Yeah, that's true. I sometimes wonder if we're not overdoing it vaccinating everyone though, unless it is to provide some herd immunity via people leaving the service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pavelcherepan Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 On 3/21/2018 at 7:38 PM, Strange said: Influenza is a disease of humans. Nit-picking, but this is not correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza#Other_animals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strange Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 6 hours ago, pavelcherepan said: Nit-picking, but this is not correct. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza#Other_animals Good point. But the various strains are fairly specific to animal types. Avian flu is rarely transmitted to and between humans (and vice versa). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 On 22/3/2018 at 11:00 PM, Endy0816 said: Yeah, that's true. I sometimes wonder if we're not overdoing it vaccinating everyone though, unless it is to provide some herd immunity via people leaving the service. We're not vaccinating everyone with smallpox, because there is no need . We are vaccinating against diseases that are still around. If it wasn't for stupid anti-vaxxers, we wouldn't need a measles vaccination anymore, because it would have been extinct by now; polio would also be very close to extinction. As long as the anti-vaxxers keep getting their children infected, everyone else needs the vaccinations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Endy0816 Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 1 hour ago, Bender said: We're not vaccinating everyone with smallpox, because there is no need . We are vaccinating against diseases that are still around. If it wasn't for stupid anti-vaxxers, we wouldn't need a measles vaccination anymore, because it would have been extinct by now; polio would also be very close to extinction. As long as the anti-vaxxers keep getting their children infected, everyone else needs the vaccinations. Sorry, should specify talking about the US Military program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheetaman Posted March 26, 2018 Author Share Posted March 26, 2018 On 3/22/2018 at 2:20 AM, NimrodTheGoat said: I think he means that we appear to have thinner skin compared to other animals. I think he cant understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area54 Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 10 hours ago, cheetaman said: I think he cant understand. The "he" referred to here is you, so now I am the one that doesn't understand. Would you like to explain? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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