Song Yin, Yan Yong, Xu Jingyu, Lv Shencong, Ren Ganglin, Zhou Yamei, Song Wanchen, Ge Rui, Xu Peihua, Zhu Guoying, Chen Zhongwen
Jiaxing Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology, Jiaxing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Jiaxing 314050, China.
Department of Microbiology, Haiyan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Haiyan, Jiaxing 314300, China.
Pathogens. 2025 Jan 20;14(1):102. doi: 10.3390/pathogens14010102.
Mpox, a zoonotic disease caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), has seen a significant shift in its epidemiological status since 2022, evolving from an initial local outbreak to a global epidemic. This recent outbreak of MPXV mainly emerged in several European and American countries and subsequently spread to over 100 countries and regions worldwide. The rapid evolution of MPXV, coupled with increased international interactions, has led to a gradual rise in mpox cases in certain regions of Asia, mostly involving MPXV clade II and its branch strains. In contrast, the more pathogenic and clinically severe MPXV clade Ib has been relatively rare, with no reports in China to date. Here, we analyzed the whole gene sequence of imported MPXV clade Ib variant from the first infection case detected in China. Through whole genome sequencing, we successfully obtained a full-length MPXV genome of 195,405 base pairs (bp). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the genetic sequence of the MPXV in this case was predominantly clustered with MPXV clade Ib sequences previously reported from multiple African and European countries. Compared with the MPXV clade Ib reference strain DQ011155.1, there are 127 nucleotide alterations and 57 amino acid mutations in the MPXV genome of this case. Given that the MPXV clade Ib has started to appear in China, we must pay more attention to the prevention of and control measures for the spread of mpox.
猴痘是一种由猴痘病毒（MPXV）引起的人畜共患病，自2022年以来其流行病学状况发生了显著变化，从最初的局部暴发演变为全球流行。最近的这次MPXV疫情主要出现在欧美一些国家，随后蔓延至全球100多个国家和地区。MPXV的快速演变，加上国际交流增多，导致亚洲某些地区的猴痘病例逐渐增加，主要涉及MPXV进化枝II及其分支毒株。相比之下，致病性更强、临床症状更严重的MPXV进化枝Ib相对罕见，迄今为止中国尚无相关报告。在此，我们对中国首例输入性MPXV进化枝Ib变异株的全基因序列进行了分析。通过全基因组测序，我们成功获得了一个长度为195,405个碱基对（bp）的完整MPXV基因组。系统发育分析表明，该病例中MPXV的基因序列主要与先前多个非洲和欧洲国家报告的MPXV进化枝Ib序列聚类。与MPXV进化枝Ib参考毒株DQ011155.1相比，该病例的MPXV基因组有127个核苷酸改变和57个氨基酸突变。鉴于MPXV进化枝Ib已开始在中国出现，我们必须更加重视猴痘传播的预防和控制措施。
