Viruses , including poxvirus , are known to possess efficient mechanisms allowing them to escape from the immune system of the infected host. One such mechanism is the possibility of inducing or suppressive effects of viruses on programmed cell death ( apoptosis ) . In this paper, the characteristics of the different ways of suppression of apoptosis by gene products of some chordopokswirusów ( orthopoxvirus , Leporipoxvirus and molluscipokswirusów ) . For proteins that are involved in the suppression of apoptosis by caspase inhibitors include poxvirus ? serpin , soluble cytokine receptors, IL- 1a and b , IL- 18 , IFN -b and IFN- g , TNF -a , TNF -b , chemokines (CC ), inhibitors of PKR kinase , v - FLIP , and anti-apoptotic proteins M11L , MT4 and p28 with different functions : with the possession of genes whose products can not only modify the course of apoptosis, but also the synthesis of various regulatory proteins , poxviruses are able to replicate its genome and adapt to infected hosts by interfering with the operation of their defense mechanisms .