Phylogenomic characterization and signs of microevolution in the 2022 multi-country outbreak of monkeypox virus
Nature Medicine·
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41591-022-01907-y
- PMID
- 35750157
- PMCID
- PMC9388373
- OpenAlex
- W4283360071
- 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 indicate that genomic sequencing may provide information for investigating the spread and transmission of monkeypox virus during an outbreak. The supplied evidence does not establish clinical effects, intervention effectiveness, or a current public health risk level.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined the genomic and phylogenetic characteristics of monkeypox virus genomes from the 2022 outbreak, including whether the outbreak had a common origin and whether genomic changes suggested ongoing viral evolution.
Study design
This was a peer-reviewed genomic study using shotgun metagenomic sequencing followed by phylogenomic and mutational analyses of outbreak virus genomes.
Population and setting
The analysis concerned monkeypox virus from the 2022 outbreak reported across multiple non-endemic countries. The supplied abstract does not specify the number or detailed characteristics of the clinical specimens or participants.
Main findings
The analyzed virus was assigned to clade 3, and the outbreak genomes were described as most consistent with a single origin. The 2022 lineage formed a distinct branch relative to linked 2018-2019 cases, with analyses indicating accelerated evolution, possible APOBEC3-associated changes, and signs interpreted by the authors as potential human adaptation. The authors also reported that genome sequencing could help resolve patterns of spread and transmission.
Public-health relevance
The findings indicate that genomic sequencing may provide information for investigating the spread and transmission of monkeypox virus during an outbreak. The supplied evidence does not establish clinical effects, intervention effectiveness, or a current public health risk level.
Important limitations
The supplied material does not state detailed study limitations, and the abstract does not provide the sample size, sampling strategy, analytic uncertainty, or validation details. This summary relies only on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation.
GIDS interpretation
The article is discoverable under monkeypox, genomic epidemiology, outbreak investigation, and transmission dynamics. It provides research context on genomic characterization of the 2022 outbreak, but the supplied evidence does not connect the paper to a live surveillance signal or confirm surveillance data.
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 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.