"The study was posted on the preprint server bioRxiv and has not yet been peer reviewed. Meanwhile, the virus continues to evolve. In December, health officials reported a strain of the mpox virus that combines genetic elements of two existing types, or clades, for the first time. Although it is normal for viruses such as mpox to evolve, the more opportunities they are given to spread, the more likely they are to eventually evade protection from vaccines and treatments."
"Taken together, these data show that scientists "still have a lot to learn" about existing strains, let alone new strains, says Boghuma Titanji, an infectious-disease physician at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Mpox belongs to the poxvirus family, which also includes smallpox, "so we should not underestimate what it can do if it's allowed to become firmly entrenched in human populations and continue to adapt", she adds."
"The virus has been infecting humans since the 1970s. Historically, it rarely spread widely, but this all changed in the late-2010s, when a clade II strain caused a large outbreak in Nigeria. A similar clade IIb strain sparked the 2022 global outbreak, in which more than 100,000 people were infected. It is still ongoing."
A strain responsible for the 2022 global mpox outbreak persisted in the testes of mice for weeks after infection and caused tissue damage, indicating possible effects on male fertility that remain unstudied in humans. The virus continues to evolve, and a recombinant strain combining genetic elements from two clades was reported in December. Increased transmission raises the likelihood of vaccine and treatment escape. Mpox causes painful, fluid-filled skin lesions, fever and sometimes death. Four clades exist (Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb). Clade IIb drove the 2022 outbreak that infected more than 100,000 people and remains active.
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