Multiple introductions of monkeypox virus to Ireland during the international mpox outbreak, May 2022 to October 2023.

ABSTRACT: BackgroundMpox, caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), was considered a rare zoonotic disease before May 2022, when a global epidemic of cases in non-endemic countries led to the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Cases of mpox in Ireland, a country without previous mpox reports, could reflect extended local transmission or multiple epidemiological introductions.AimTo elucidate the origins and molecular characteristics of MPXV circulating in Ireland between May 2022 and October 2023.MethodsWhole genome sequencing of MPXV from 75% of all Irish mpox cases (182/242) was performed and compared to sequences retrieved from public databases (n = 3,362). Bayesian approaches were used to infer divergence time between sequences from different subclades and evaluate putativ

SUBMITTER: Gonzalez G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11027473 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature