Small pox is caused by a virus in the Variola genus. Hopefully, this species of virus is now extinct thanks to a world wide effort lead by the USSR. On the other hand when the USSR fell apart, the locations of the remaining stocks of this group of virus specimens are unknown. This disease has been known for over 3,000 years, and the last natural case of this disease appears to be a case in Somalia in 1977. There is an excellent write up about this disease in the book by Dr. Peter Moore entitled the Little Book of Pandemics.

Cowpox, sheeppox, and smallpox causing virues are in this family. The family has been referred to as the Orthopoxvirus famly or the Poxviridae family.

Typical viruses include tiny organisms that contain both a nucleic acid and some proteins. Many of these cause serious illness in humans. Included herein is AIDS, yellow fever, Mumps, Measles, and Hepatitus. Estimates indicate that over 30,000 species are under study with only about 3,000 recognized.

e have lumped all the virus like lifeforms herein, as science is still working on the taxonomy tree in this area.

Viruses are the most primitive of lifeforms. These organisms are usually too small to be seen by typical microscopes. Viruses are composed of a acid nucleus and some proteins. These organisms need to invade a living cell of a host in order to grow and reproduce. Several well known diseases are caused by viruses including Hepatitis, HIV, Mumps, Influenze, Rabies, and Yellow Fever.

There are several even more primitive virus like creatures that include viroids and prions. (Viroids can cause some plant health issues, and Prions can cause the mad cow disease.)

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