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© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

The ongoing outbreak of the Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is characterized by sustained human-to-human transmission, particularly among men who have sex with men (MSM). The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of the MPXV infection identified in Southern Italy. Clinical samples for each suspected case identified from 1 June to 1 August 2022 were tested for MPXV, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on two strains. Ten cases were identified: eight were young adult males, including six MSMs, and two were female. Nine subjects reported recent sexual exposure. One female subject without sexual exposure only reported attendance at a social gathering. Overall, 7 of 10 skin lesion samples had a high viral load of MPXV DNA, and 6/9 whole blood samples and 6/8 nasopharyngeal swab samples also tested positive. The analyzed sequences belonged to Clade 3, lineage B.1, and B.1.5, respectively. Despite this recent multinational outbreak of MPXV cases having revealed a high proportion of cases occurring among MSM, the identification of cases among heterosexual subjects and in a female subject without sexual risk factors should raise awareness among clinicians about the possible spread of MPXV in the general population.

Details

Title
Monkeypox Virus Infections in Southern Italy: Is There a Risk for Community Spread?
Author
Loconsole, Daniela 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sallustio, Anna 2 ; Centrone, Francesca 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Casulli, Daniele 2 ; Accogli, Marisa 1 ; Saracino, Annalisa 3 ; Foti, Caterina 4 ; Grandolfo, Mauro 4 ; Buccoliero, Giovanni Battista 5 ; Vitale, Viviana 6 ; De Nitto, Sara 6 ; Conversano, Michele 7 ; Desiante, Francesco 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Laura Del Sambro 8 ; Simone, Domenico 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Parisi, Antonio 8   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Prato, Rosa 9 ; Martinelli, Domenico 9 ; Chironna, Maria 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Hygiene Section, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy 
 Hygiene Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Consorziale Policlinico di Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy 
 Infectious Diseases Section, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy 
 Section of Dermatology, Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Bari, 70124 Bari, Italy 
 Infectious Diseases Unit, San Giuseppe Moscati Hospital, 74010 Taranto, Italy 
 Department of Prevention, Local Health Authority of Bari, 70100 Bari, Italy 
 Department of Prevention, Local Health Authority of Taranto, 74121 Taranto, Italy 
 Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, 71121 Foggia, Italy 
 Hygiene Section, Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy 
First page
11719
Publication year
2022
Publication date
2022
Publisher
MDPI AG
ISSN
1661-7827
e-ISSN
1660-4601
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2716549817
Copyright
© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.