Genomic evidence of varicella-zoster virus among Mpox-suspected cases in Ethiopia during the 2022 Mpox multi-country outbreak.

ABSTRACT: Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV) whose clinical manifestations mimic mpox posing challenges for diagnosis without laboratory confirmation. Here, we investigated VZV among the mpox-suspected cases, May to October 2022, in Ethiopia. Samples were collected from 202 mpox-suspected cases in 11 of Ethiopia's 14 regions and screened for mpox virus by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Then, differential testing of other selected orthopoxviruses, VZV and herpes simplex virus (HSV) were conducted for 133 randomly selected samples. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and downstream analysis was performed on 8 VZV-positive samples. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize epidemiological and clinical data. All the 202 enrolled cases te

SUBMITTER: Tayachew A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12764961 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature