Retrospective testing for the presence of monkeypox virus in a high-risk population from February-June 2022 in Alberta, Canada.

ABSTRACT:

Background

A multi-country outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) infections was identified by the World Health Organization in May 2022. The western Canadian province of Alberta identified its first case of MPXV in a returning traveller on June 2, 2022. We undertook a retrospective testing exercise to evaluate whether MPXV may have been circulating in the province earlier.

Methods

Skin (genital and non-genital) and mucosal lesion swabs submitted for herpes simplex virus (HSV)/varicella zoster virus (VZV)/syphilis testing from male patients attending sexually-transmitted infection clinics across the province of Alberta from January 28 to May 30, 2022 were retrieved from storage. The population tested was selected based on the epidemiology of the current 2022 multi-country MPXV o

SUBMITTER: Kanji JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10052911 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature