Shim Mingyeol, Cho Soo Hyeon, Lee Seung Eun, Kim Taeyoung
Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Cheongju, Korea.
Division of Infectious Disease Response, Capital Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Seoul, Korea.
Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024092. doi: 10.4178/epih.e2024092. Epub 2024 Nov 24.
This study investigated the general characteristics of laboratory-confirmed mpox patients in the Capital Region of Korea, as well as the risk factors for mpox infection, particularly focusing on the characteristics of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive and PCR-negative cases.
We investigated 160 adults, excluding 4 minors, from 164 suspected mpox patients reported in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, and Gangwon from June 21, 2022 to October 31, 2023. Data were collected via telephone and face-to-face interviews. A statistical analysis of the general characteristics of the infection was conducted using frequency analysis and logistic regression.
Of the 160 suspected cases of mpox, 59.3% (n=95) tested positive via mpox-PCR. Among the confirmed cases, 97.9% (n=93) were male. PCR-positive patients typically presented with genital and anal skin rashes or mucosal lesions, accompanied by pain. Additionally, 35.5% (n=33) of the male patients had human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. Most confirmed cases (94.7%, 90/95) were believed to have contracted mpox through sexual contact during the maximal incubation period of 21 days prior to symptom onset, with a significant number reporting same-sex or casual contact. The most commonly collected and highest-yielding specimens from PCR-positive patients were from skin or mucosal lesions, whereas blood samples demonstrated the lowest percent positivity.
In the Capital Region, most PCR-positive cases were male patients in their 30s who had sexual contacts and exhibited symptoms, aligning with findings from previous studies. These results provide a foundation for the differential diagnosis concerning mpox infection and the selection of PCR-test samples in clinical settings.
本研究调查了韩国首都地区实验室确诊的猴痘患者的一般特征，以及猴痘感染的危险因素，尤其关注聚合酶链反应（PCR）阳性和PCR阴性病例的特征。
我们调查了2022年6月21日至2023年10月31日在首尔、京畿道、仁川和江原道报告的164例疑似猴痘患者中的160名成年人，排除了4名未成年人。通过电话和面对面访谈收集数据。使用频率分析和逻辑回归对感染的一般特征进行统计分析。
在160例疑似猴痘病例中，59.3%（n=95）通过猴痘PCR检测呈阳性。在确诊病例中，97.9%（n=93）为男性。PCR阳性患者通常表现为生殖器和肛门皮肤皮疹或黏膜病变，并伴有疼痛。此外，35.5%（n=33）的男性患者感染了人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）。大多数确诊病例（94.7%，90/95）被认为是在症状出现前21天的最长潜伏期内通过性接触感染猴痘的，相当一部分病例报告有同性或偶然接触。从PCR阳性患者中最常采集且阳性率最高的标本来自皮肤或黏膜病变，而血液样本的阳性率最低。
在首都地区，大多数PCR阳性病例是30多岁有性接触且出现症状的男性患者，这与先前研究结果一致。这些结果为临床环境中猴痘感染的鉴别诊断和PCR检测样本的选择提供了依据。
