Morphology of the pox viruses

摘要

The purpose of this investigation is to provide a mathematical description of the shape of the pox viruses. The genera Orthopoxvirus and Parapoxvirus contain many of the pox viruses - among them are cowpox, monkeypox, fowlpox, and orf in animals and smallpox(Variola) in humans. Their morphology can be described in a mathematical way and this allows for the derivation of formulas for surface area, volume and the ratio of surface area to volume. We do this by using the idea of the square circle and generalizing it to three dimensions via an ellipsoid. A general formula has been derived for the description of the morphology of any of the pox viruses. With accurate dimensional measurements any of these viruses can be described. Prom this geometry one can find formulas for surface area, volume and their ratio.