The Rise of Mpox in a Post-Smallpox World.

Reports of mpox are rising in Africa where the disease is endemic and in new countries where the disease has not been previously seen. The 2022 global outbreak of clade II mpox and an ongoing outbreak of the more lethal clade I mpox highlight the pandemic potential for monkeypox virus. Waning population immunity after the cessation of routine immunization for smallpox plays a key role in the changing epidemiologic patterns of mpox.

Bioluminescence Imaging to Study Recombinant Orthopoxvirus Infection in Animal Models.

Bioluminescent images of viral replication in live animals (in vivo) reveal disease dynamics and effects of medical countermeasures over time. After selecting an appropriate orthopoxvirus animal model for the study, a recombinant virus with the firefly luciferase gene inserted in the genome is used to infect the animals. On the day of bioluminescent imaging, the substrate, D-luciferin, is prepared; animals are sedated and injected with the substrate and IVIS imager is utilized; various bioluminescent images are acquired; then animals recover and are able to continue in the study.

Identification of raccoon rabies virus variant in a stray kitten: the role of veterinary practitioners in detection and reporting of a non-native zoonotic pathogen-Nebraska, 2023.

Rabies is a fatal encephalitic disease affecting all mammals. This report describes identification of raccoon rabies virus variant isolated from a stray kitten in an urban Midwestern city that is nonendemic for this virus variant. The kitten originally presented with nonspecific neurologic abnormalities.

Fatal borealpox in an immunosuppressed patient treated with antivirals and vaccinia immunoglobulin - Alaska, 2023.

Background: Borealpox virus (BRPV, formerly known as Alaskapox virus) is a zoonotic member of the Orthopoxvirus genus first identified in a person in 2015. In the six patients with infection previously observed BRPV involved mild, self-limiting illness. We report the first fatal BRPV infection in an immunosuppressed patient.

Successful Collaborations that Resulted in Increased U.S. Diagnostic Testing During the 2022 Mpox Outbreak.

Context: The first case of mpox was detected in the United States in a Laboratory Response Network (LRN) laboratory at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on May 17, 2022. Through previous years of smallpox preparedness efforts by the United States government, testing capacity in LRN laboratories across the United States utilizing the FDA-cleared Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Non-variola orthopoxvirus (NVO) test was approximately 6000 tests weekly across the nation prior to the mpox outbreak. By early June 2022, the LRN laboratories had capacity to perform up to 8000 tests per week.

Notes from the Field: Enhanced Surveillance for Raccoon Rabies Virus Variant and Vaccination of Wildlife for Management - Omaha, Nebraska, October 2023-July 2024.

On September 28, 2023, a kitten aged approximately 6 weeks found in Omaha, Nebraska, had test results positive for rabies at the Nebraska Veterinary Diagnostic Center (NVDC) after dying with neurologic signs and having bitten and scratched its caretakers. Preliminary investigation identified 10 exposed persons for whom postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) was recommended. Subsequent variant-typing by NVDC yielded a presumptive positive result for the Eastern raccoon rabies virus variant (RRVV), which CDC confirmed on October 6.

Notes from the Field: Mpox Cluster Caused by Tecovirimat-Resistant Monkeypox Virus - Five States, October 2023-February 2024.

The antiviral drug tecovirimat* has been used extensively to treat U.S. mpox cases since the start of a global outbreak in 2022.

Genetically and Functionally Distinct Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain Locus Duplication in Bats.

The genetic locus encoding immunoglobulin heavy chains (IgH) is critical for vertebrate humoral immune responses and diverse antibody repertoires. Immunoglobulin and T cell receptor loci of most bat species have not been annotated, despite the recurrent role of bats as viral reservoirs and sources of zoonotic pathogens. We investigated the genetic structure and function of IgH loci across the largest bat family, Vespertilionidae, focusing on big brown bats ).

Serologic responses to the MVA-based JYNNEOS mpox vaccine in a cohort of participants from the District of Columbia (D.C.).

We assessed early antibody responses after two doses of JYNNEOS (IMVANEX) mpox vaccine in the District of Columbia (D.C.) in persons at high risk for mpox without characteristic lesions or rash.

U.S. Preparedness and Response to Increasing Clade I Mpox Cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - United States, 2024.

Clade I monkeypox virus (MPXV), which can cause severe illness in more people than clade II MPXVs, is endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but the country has experienced an increase in suspected cases during 2023-2024. In light of the 2022 global outbreak of clade II mpox, the increase in suspected clade I cases in DRC raises concerns that the virus could spread to other countries and underscores the importance of coordinated, urgent global action to support DRC's efforts to contain the virus. To date, no cases of clade I mpox have been detected outside of countries in Central Africa where the virus is endemic.

Tecovirimat Resistance in Mpox Patients, United States, 2022-2023.

During the 2022 multinational outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infection, the antiviral drug tecovirimat (TPOXX; SIGA Technologies, Inc., https://www.siga.

The CDC Domestic Mpox Response - United States, 2022-2023.

Monkeypox (mpox) is a serious viral zoonosis endemic in west and central Africa. An unprecedented global outbreak was first detected in May 2022. CDC activated its emergency outbreak response on May 23, 2022, and the outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on July 23, 2022, by the World Health Organization (WHO),* and a U.

Mpox respiratory transmission: the state of the evidence.

The relative contribution of the respiratory route to transmission of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) is unclear. We review the evidence for respiratory transmission of monkeypox virus (MPXV), examining key works from animal models, human outbreaks and case reports, and environmental studies. Laboratory experiments have initiated MPXV infection in animals via respiratory routes.