[Sir Kenyth]

To get back on topic, the pox viruses are some of the most advanced known on the planet. In comparison to most viruses, they are huge and contain a lot of genetic material! They steal genes from their hosts. They found some genes in smallpox viruses that originally came from rodents. This suggests that the virus may have "hopped" species directly from vermin rats a long time ago. The way the virus propigates is quite advanced. The host cell produces more virus. Some of these virus have propelling tails. When they contact the cell wall, the cell wall is stretched into a tube leading to the next cell instead of immediately broken. This protects the virus from the immune system. Eventually, the cell breaks and releases the standard, non-tailed viruses for dispersion through the bloodstream and air. Whether a person survives or not can be dependant on where the virus enters the body and how much virus the person gets. If the virus gets into the lymphatic system first, it can shock the immune system and cause a diminished response. In these cases, the pustules are not formed and the disease is almost always fatal. The skin gets a blackened, bruised and blood blistered appearance as it's destroyed. Before the unfortunate victem dies, the skin usually falls off over large areas and there is a lot of hemorraghing. Known as "Black pox". Like I said, horrible.