Genomic Variability of Monkeypox Virus among Humans, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Emerging Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.3201/eid2002.130118
- PMID
- 24457084
- PMCID
- PMC3901482
- OpenAlex
- W2129386720
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The authors call for improved surveillance to monitor potential adaptation of monkeypox virus to humans.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined genomic variability of monkeypox virus among infected humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Study design
A laboratory genomic analysis of 60 human-derived samples collected between 2005 and 2007, characterizing viral genetic diversity and a specific deletion associated with transmission.
Population and setting
Sixty human samples representing primary and secondary monkeypox cases were analyzed; the geographic setting is the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Main findings
Four distinct viral lineages were identified. A deletion causing gene loss was observed in 10 (16.7%) samples and showed a borderline association with human-to-human transmission (p = 0.0544). The authors interpret the findings as suggesting frequent spillover from animal reservoirs, selection pressure producing genomic destabilization and gene loss, and possible increases in transmissibility and severity.
Public-health relevance
The authors call for improved surveillance to monitor potential adaptation of monkeypox virus to humans.
Important limitations
The summary is limited to the supplied single-article abstract and bibliographic metadata; the original paper is required for decision-grade interpretation. The reported transmission association had a borderline p-value (p = 0.0544), and no explicit limitations were stated in the supplied abstract.
GIDS interpretation
The article is thematically linked to One Health, surveillance, and transmission dynamics of monkeypox, and may aid discoverability of historical genomic evidence concerning viral diversity in Central Africa. No connection to a live surveillance signal is made here.
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.