Genomic variability of monkeypox virus among humans, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Monkeypox virus is a zoonotic virus endemic to Central Africa. Although active disease surveillance has assessed monkeypox disease prevalence and geographic range, information about virus diversity is lacking. We therefore assessed genome diversity of viruses in 60 samples obtained from humans with primary and secondary cases of infection from 2005 through 2007. We detected 4 distinct lineages and a deletion that resulted in gene loss in 10 (16.7%) samples and that seemed to correlate with human-to-human transmission (p = 0.0544). The data suggest a high frequency of spillover events from the pool of viruses in nonhuman animals, active selection through genomic destabilization and gene loss, and increased disease transmissibility and severity. The potential for accelerated adaptation to humans should be monitored through improved surveillance.
Jeffrey R
JR
Kugelman
Sara C
SC
Johnston
Prime M
PM
Mulembakani
Neville
N
Kisalu
Michael S
MS
Lee
Galina
G
Koroleva
Sarah E
SE
McCarthy
Marie C
MC
Gestole
Nathan D
ND
Wolfe
Joseph N
JN
Fair
Bradley S
BS
Schneider
Linda L
LL
Wright
John
J
Huggins
Chris A
CA
Whitehouse
Emile Okitolonda
EO
Wemakoy
Jean Jacques
JJ
Muyembe-Tamfum
Lisa E
LE
Hensley
Gustavo F
GF
Palacios
Anne W
AW
Rimoin
D000220:Adaptation, Biological / Q000235:genetics; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D062665:Epidemiological Monitoring; D017353:Gene Deletion; D016679:Genome, Viral; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D045908:Mpox, Monkeypox / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D008993:Monkeypox virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
Democratic Republic of the Congo; Monkeypox virus; emerging infectious disease; gene loss; genomic diversity; genomic reduction; viruses