Phylogeny and molecular evolution of the first local monkeypox virus cluster in Guangdong Province, China
Nature Communications·
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41467-023-44092-3
- PMID
- 38086870
- PMCID
- PMC10716143
- OpenAlex
- W4389615694
- Study type
- Genomic study
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Publication version
This article has a linked preprint
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Open linked preprint →Why this research matters now
The findings are positioned by the authors as contributing to understanding of the ongoing mpox outbreak in China and to informing joint prevention and control strategies.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examines the phylogeny and molecular evolution of monkeypox virus (MPXV) sequences from the first local mpox outbreak in Guangdong Province, China, in order to clarify the source and transmission pattern of the event.
Study design
This is a genomic and phylogenetic characterization of 10 MPXV genome sequences obtained from the June 2023 Guangdong outbreak, with comparative analyses against MPXV sequences from other regions.
Population and setting
The setting is the first local mpox outbreak in Guangdong Province, China (June 2023); the analyzed sample set consists of 10 MPXV genome sequences from this outbreak, contextualized against MPXV sequences from Japan, Portugal, and other Chinese regions.
Main findings
All 10 Guangdong MPXV sequences clustered within lineage IIb C.1 and showed temporal continuity in phylogenetic signal and a unique mutation spectrum, including a continuous increase in SNPs and shared mutations over time. The Guangdong strains exhibited greater genomic nucleotide differences and 14 shared mutations relative to B.1-lineage viruses compared with Japanese MPXV, including 6 non-synonymous mutations in genes associated with host regulation, viral infection, and viral life cycle. A mutation pattern linked to apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3 was noted as a feature of IIb C.1.
Public-health relevance
The findings are positioned by the authors as contributing to understanding of the ongoing mpox outbreak in China and to informing joint prevention and control strategies.
Important limitations
The abstract notes that epidemiological data alone did not rapidly identify the source or transmission of the outbreak, implying limitations in the epidemiological context available to the genomic analysis. The summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract/metadata and requires the original paper for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The article is a peer-reviewed genomic study from Nature Communications (December 2023) classified under genomic epidemiology, outbreak investigation, and transmission dynamics, making it relevant as contextual literature on the emergence and diversification of MPXV lineage IIb C.1 in Guangdong Province. No connection to a live surveillance signal is established by the supplied evidence.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 9 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.