Monkeypox virus genome

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Select up to three search categories and corresponding keywords using the fields to the right. Refer to the Help section for more detailed instructions. Select one Select one.. Clear All Search. Back to Previous Page. Feb By Kugelman, Jeffrey R. Source: Emerg Infect Dis.

Copy Export. Details: Alternative Title:. A recently submitted genomic sequence derived from 2 isolates obtained in Sudan in contains a large indel in the right flanking region. This indel simultaneously inserts a The authors who reported the sequence posit that this insertion and deletion resulted from a single event, and the identifying sequence is the only evidence of either the insertion or the exact deletion in any Poxviridae isolate The 2 reported changes cannot be functionally compared in this study; however, additional evidence supports genetic variability in this region.

Genomic reduction might have played a role in the emergence of VARV as a highly adapted human pathogen capable of efficient human-to-human spread 7. Although it has been suggested that gene loss was associated with a restricted host range for VARV, no link has been demonstrated between gene loss and increased severity of disease.

VARV is thought to have diverged from its rodent-borne ancestor 3,—4, years ago The strains of VARV isolated during periods of high activity in the 20th century were already well adapted to their evolutionary niche humans , and, as a result, their genetic sequences were highly conserved. Conversely, the level of variability for MPXV isolates might suggest an active pattern of change; however, longer-term surveillance is required.

Although genomic changes are predicted by models of host transition, the correlation of the gene loss pattern with secondary transmission might indicate that MPXV is adapting for efficient replication in a novel ecologic niche: humans. It is also plausible that the association of OMCP gene loss and transmissibility is coincidental because numerous factors, including vaccination status and human encroachment on reservoir habitats, could also explain increased human-to-human transmission and variant introduction frequency.

The scarcity of information regarding historical orthopoxvirus emergence and the absence of sequencing data for MPXV reservoir isolates precludes our ability to pinpoint the exact source of the observed variability; however, we predict that the 4 lineages are circulating in the reservoir population and are introduced into the human population after direct contact with those reservoir hosts.

Further genomic surveillance that includes reservoir species might help explain the variant emergence described herein. However, as the number of unvaccinated persons continues to increase, so does the size of the susceptible population. Other factors in the DRC, such as malnutrition, disease, and an inadequate health care system, have provided an ideal environment for MPXV. Our data also indicate that certain genetic changes might affect disease severity or human-to-human transmissibility, suggesting an active period of adaptation that could result in virus strains with increased fitness in humans.

However, we have no evidence to directly link the genetic changes to increased severity or transmissibility in vivo. The global effects of the emergence of MPXV strains that are highly adapted to humans could be devastating. Importation of MPXV by infected vertebrates is of concern because of the potential for establishment of new reservoirs outside Africa. In fact, American ground squirrels have been found to be susceptible to infection 39 , suggesting that other rodent species worldwide might also be susceptible.

Small genetic changes could favor adaptation to a human host, and this potential is greatest for pathogens with moderate transmission rates such as MPXV The ability to spread rapidly and efficiently from human to human could enhance spread by travelers to new regions. Therefore, active disease surveillance should continue to be used monitor MPXV for changes that are consistent with increasing adaptation to humans. Continued active surveillance of the Sankuru District, and expansion to all other regions where the virus is known or predicted to circulate, would help determine the true geographic range of this virus.

Given the apparent rapid evolution of this virus, when suspected or confirmed cases in humans are observed, health authorities in presently unaffected areas should become vigilant and actively prepare to take immediate action. His research interest is the genomic study of filovirus and orthopoxvirus infections. Among the many persons who contributed to sample collection in the field, we specifically thank the Congolese health workers Sankuru District , and staff at the DRC Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization Country office in Kinshasa.

We also thank Nicole Hoff for assistance with metadata compilation and Charlie Calisher for critical review of the manuscript. Table of Contents — Volume 20, Number 2—February Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:. Addresses for correspondence: For questions regarding the clinical and epidemiological aspects of the article, contact Anne W. For questions regarding the molecular epidemiology and genomics aspects of the article, contact Gustavo F.

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Article Metrics. Jeffrey R. Kugelman 1 , Sara C. Johnston 1 , Prime M. Mulembakani, Neville Kisalu, Michael S. Lee, Galina Koroleva, Sarah E. McCarthy, Marie C. Gestole, Nathan D. Wolfe, Joseph N. Fair, Bradley S. Schneider, Linda L.

Wright, John Huggins, Chris A. Hensley, Gustavo F. Palacios 2 , and Anne W. Rimoin 2. Kugelman, S. Johnston, M. Lee, G. Koroleva, S. McCarthy, M. Gestole, J. Huggins, C. Whitehouse, G. Mulembakani, E. Kisalu, A. Wolfe, J. N, Fair, B. Abstract Monkeypox virus is a zoonotic virus endemic to Central Africa.

Download MP3. Materials and Methods. Sample Selection From November through November , a total of cases of human monkeypox in the Sankuru District, DRC, were identified by active disease surveillance and confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR Sample Collection and Processing Techniques for sample collection, processing, nucleotide isolation, and real-time PCR have been described 20 , 28 , Genome Assembly All raw Illumina sequence data were processed through an in-house—developed filtering program that removes or trims reads with known artifacts.

Phylogenetic Analysis Figure 1 Figure 1. Genomic Reduction Figure 2 Figure 2. Moss B. The deletions found in monkeypox virus isolates from Liberia and from Benin were almost the same as that which we had previously found in the Denmark strain. A much shortened ORF, potentially coding for a product of amino acids, was retained in all three West African isolates, but three Zairean isolates each showed an identical series of small insertions and deletions which effectively abolish the ORF.

Three deletions, present in all isolates, must pre-date the geographical separation of monkeypox virus lineages; other, presumably more recent, changes differ between the Zairean and West African isolates.