Definition

Noun: * A local infection induced in humans by inoculation with the virus causing cowpox in order to confer resistance to smallpox; normally lasts three weeks and leaves a pitted scar. This is the medical term for the deliberate, controlled infection resulting from the smallpox vaccination procedure. It describes the body's reaction at the vaccination site.

Usage

• This term is highly specialized and primarily used in historical, medical, or scientific contexts to describe the specific reaction to the traditional smallpox vaccine.
• It is a formal synonym for the more common term "vaccinia."

Examples

• The successful variola vaccina at the inoculation site was a clear sign that the vaccination had taken.
• Before the eradication of smallpox, a doctor would monitor the development of the variola vaccina to confirm immunity.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in historical texts discussing the development and implementation of vaccination programs.
• In virology, it may be used to distinguish the vaccine-induced infection from natural cowpox or smallpox infections.

Variants and Related Words

• Vaccinia (n): The more common modern term for the same condition—the reaction to the smallpox vaccine.
• Cowpox (n): The viral disease in cows that is the source of the vaccine virus.
• Smallpox (n): The serious, often fatal disease that vaccination with variola vaccina protects against.

Synonyms

• Vaccinia
• Vaccine reaction (specific to smallpox vaccine)
• Vaccination lesion (specific to smallpox vaccine)

Notes

• Variola vaccina is a technical, historical term. In contemporary discussion, even in medical circles, "vaccinia" is the preferred term.
• The word "variola" itself is the medical term for smallpox, so "variola vaccina" literally relates to a "vaccine for smallpox."

Noun

1. a local infection induced in humans by inoculation with the virus causing cowpox in order to confer resistance to smallpox; normally lasts three weeks and leaves a pitted scar