Researchers share draft genome sequences of monkeypox virus

Contact Counsellor

Last Updated23/05/2022

Researchers from the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), Lisbon, Portugal have shared the draft genome sequence of the monkeypox virus that is rapidly spreading in many European countries
It indicates that the virus circulating outside Africa belongs to the West African clade

It is caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.
It is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions.
It typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.
It is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from 2 to 4 weeks.
It is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or with material contaminated with the virus.
It primarily occurs in Central and West Africa, often in proximity to tropical rainforests and has been increasingly appearing in urban areas.
Animal hosts include a range of rodents and non-human primates.

It is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family.
There are two distinct genetic clades of the monkeypox virus – the Central African (Congo Basin) clade and the West African clade.
The Congo Basin clade has historically caused more severe disease and was thought to be more transmissible.

Various animal species have been identified as susceptible to monkeypox virus.
It includes rope squirrels, tree squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, non-human primates and other species.

Prelims Takeaway