Editorial Material
Emergency Medicine
Sukhjit S. Takhar
Summary: This series aims to enhance awareness of communicable diseases in emergency medicine and promote cooperation between clinical medicine and public health agencies.
ANNALS OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Andrei R. Akhmetzhanov, Luis Ponce, Robin N. Thompson
Summary: There have been relatively few cases of monkeypox in the Western Pacific Region (WPR), including New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan, and a limited number of cases in Australia. This can be attributed to the limited resumption of international travel in the WPR following the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Moises Sihuincha Maldonado, Aldo Javier Lucchetti, Raisa Alessandra Paredes Pacheco, Leonel Christian Martinez Cevallos, Enrique Uless Zumaeta Saavedra, Lourdes Renatta Ponce Zapata, Fernando Alonso Lizarbe Huayta, Eduardo Demetrio Matos Prado
Summary: In 2022, Monkeypox mainly affects men who have sex with men and People living with HIV/AIDS. It presents with skin lesions localized to the anogenital area and can lead to severe complications requiring hospitalization.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Janine Michel, Angelina Targosz, Thomas Rinner, Daniel Bourquain, Annika Brinkmann, Jilian Amber Sacks, Lars Schaade, Andreas Nitsche
Summary: Before the international spread of monkeypox in May 2022, PCR kits for the detection of monkeypox virus were rarely available. This study evaluated 11 commercially available PCR kits and found that all of them were suitable for diagnostics of monkeypox virus, with variations in specificity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Crystal M. Gigante, Bette Korber, Matthew H. Seabolt, Kimberly Wilkins, Whitni Davidson, Agam K. Rao, Hui Zhao, Todd G. Smith, Christine M. Hughes, Faisal Minhaj, Michelle A. Waltenburg, James Theiler, Sandra Smole, Glen R. Gallagher, David Blythe, Robert Myers, Joann Schulte, Joey Stringer, Philip Lee, Rafael M. Mendoza, Latoya A. Griffin-Thomas, Jenny Crain, Jade Murray, Annette Atkinson, Anthony H. Gonzalez, June Nash, Dhwani Batra, Inger Damon, Jennifer McQuiston, Christina L. Hutson, Andrea M. McCollum, Yu Li
Summary: Monkeypox, a viral zoonotic disease endemic in Central and West Africa, has recently been reported in non-endemic countries. A study found two lineages of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in US cases, with one being the major variant of the 2022 outbreak and the other being a minor variant. Analysis suggests that APOBEC3 gene activity may be a dominant driver of MPXV evolution in the current outbreak.
Letter
Immunology
Alexandre Vallee, Audrey Chatelain, Marie Carbonnel, Catherine Racowsky, Erwan Fourn, David Zucman, Jean-Marc Ayoubi
Summary: Monkeypox virus outbreak has been spreading globally since April 2022. We present a case of a young woman in France who tested positive for the virus after engaging in oral and vaginal sex. She developed ulceronecrotic lesions intravaginally and around her vulva. It is important for healthcare professionals to be familiar with all aspects of this virus infection, including the possibility of vertical transmission.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Muhammad Sharjeel Alam, Laiba Shakeel, Hassan ul Hussain, Syeda Tayyaba Rehan, Hassan Mumtaz
Summary: Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a zoonotic virus that can spread from infected persons, animals, or objects to humans through close contact. An outbreak in May 2022 predominantly affected men who had sex with men. Symptoms include rash, fever, flu-like symptoms, and genital and perineal lesions. Ocular manifestations, such as conjunctivitis and corneal lesions, are a growing concern. Vaccinations and supportive care are important for management.
JOURNAL OF INFECTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Guillermo Rodriguez-Nava, Peter Kadlecik, Thomas D. Filardo, David L. Ain, Joseph D. Cooper, David W. McCormick, Bryant J. Webber, Kevin O'Laughlin, Brett W. Petersen, Supriya Narasimhan, Harleen K. Sahni
Summary: This study reports two immunocompetent and otherwise healthy adults in the United States who were diagnosed with monkeypox and hospitalized for viral myocarditis. Both patients had not been vaccinated against orthopoxviruses. They presented with symptoms of shortness of breath or chest pain and showed elevated levels of cardiac biomarkers. No immediate complications were observed and they were discharged after their symptoms resolved.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Robyn M. Kaiser, Shama Cash-Goldwasser, Nicholas Lehnertz, Jayne Griffith, Alison Ruprecht, John Stanton, Amanda Feldpausch, Jessica Pavlick, Charles A. Bruen, David Perez-Molinar, S. Rebecca Peglow, Omobosola O. Akinsete, Sapna Bamrah Morris, Elliot Raizes, Christopher Gregory, Ruth Lynfield
Summary: We report two cases of co-infection of pharyngeal monkeypox virus and group A Streptococcus in the United States. No rash was observed at the onset of pharyngitis symptoms. One patient required intubation prior to the diagnosis of monkeypox. Healthcare providers should be aware of the manifestations of oropharyngeal monkeypox and possible co-infections, as early treatment may prevent serious complications.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Virology
Caitlin A. Contag, Zachary T. Renfro, Jacky Lu, Sa Shen, Abraar Karan, Daniel Solis, ChunHong Huang, Malaya K. Sahoo, Fumiko Yamamoto, Morris S. Jones, Jennifer Lin, Vivian Levy, Benjamin A. Pinsky
Summary: Despite the wide geographic spread and sharp increase in monkeypox incidence during the 2022 outbreak, the community prevalence of infection remains poorly characterized. A retrospective epidemiologic survey in California found relatively high rates of monkeypox virus detection in oropharyngeal and anorectal samples, highlighting the importance of testing at different anatomical sites, especially in patients with non-lesional symptoms.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Melisa M. Shah, Brendan Joyce, Ian D. Plumb, Sam Sahakian, Leora R. Feldstein, Eric Barkley, Mason Paccione, Joseph Deckert, Danessa Sandmann, Jacqueline L. Gerhart, Melissa Briggs Hagen
Summary: Among adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in the U.S., those prescribed Paxlovid within 5 days of diagnosis had a 51% lower hospitalization rate within 30 days compared to those not prescribed Paxlovid, regardless of previous infection or vaccination status.
MMWR-MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Davide Moschese, Giacomo Pozza, Davide Mileto, Andrea Giacomelli, Miriam Cutrera, Maria Vittoria Cossu, Maddalena Matone, Martina Beltrami, Federica Salari, Spinello Antinorik, Alessandra Lombardi, Giuliano Rizzardini
Summary: The study found that the monkeypox virus could be detected in anal and urethral samples from confirmed cases, with actively-replicating virus still present within 7 days from symptom onset. It was also discovered that asymptomatic secondary cases may support a potential sexual transmission hypothesis.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Roberto Vivancos, Charlotte Anderson, Paula Blomquist, Sooria Balasegaram, Anita Bell, Louise Bishop, Colin S. Brown, Yimmy Chow, Obaghe Edeghere, Isaac Florence, Sarah Logan, Petra Manley, William Crowe, Andrew McAuley, Ananda Giri Shankar, Borja Mora-Peris, Karthik Paranthaman, Mateo Prochazka, Cian Ryan, David Simons, Richard Vipond, Chloe Byers, Nicholas A. Watkins, Will Welfare, Elizabeth Whittaker, Claire Dewsnap, Allegra Wilson, Yvonne Young, Meera Chand, Steven Riley, Susan Hopkins
Summary: Between 7 and 25 May, 86 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in the UK, with only one case known to have traveled to a monkeypox virus endemic country. The majority of the cases were males, among which 66 reported being gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men. This is the first sustained human-to-human transmission of monkeypox in the UK, occurring through close contacts, including sexual networks. Ongoing efforts are being made to improve case identification and prevent further transmission.
Article
Immunology
Zachary J. Madewell, Kelly Charniga, Nina B. Masters, Jason Asher, Lily Fahrenwald, William Still, Judy Chen, Naama Kipperman, David Bui, Meghan Shea, Katharine Saunders, Lori Saathoff-Huber, Shannon Johnson, Khalil Harbi, Abby L. Berns, Taidy Perez, Emily Gateley, Ian H. Spicknall, Yoshinori Nakazawa, Thomas L. Gift
Summary: Using data from 12 US health departments, we estimated the mean serial interval for monkeypox virus infection to be 8.5 days (95% credible interval 7.3-9.9) for symptom onset, based on 57 case pairs. The mean estimated incubation period was 5.6 days (95% credible interval 4.3-7.8) for symptom onset, based on 35 case pairs.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Oriol Mitja, Dimie Ogoina, Boghuma K. Titanji, Cristina Galvan, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Michael Marks, Chloe M. Orkin
Summary: Monkeypox is a zoonotic illness caused by the monkeypox virus, mainly found in west and central Africa. In 2022, it became a Public Health Emergency of International Concern due to its unprecedented global spread outside Africa. The disease primarily spreads through close intimate contact, with most cases diagnosed among men who have sex with men.
