Obi Chikwelu L, Mkolo Nqobile M, Mugivhisa Liziwe L, Ogunrombi Modupe O, Mphephu Mukhethwa M, Naidoo Clarissa M
Dean's Office, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.
Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences, School of Science and Technology, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa.
Afr J Lab Med. 2025 May 31;14(1):2644. doi: 10.4102/ajlm.v14i1.2644. eCollection 2025.
The World Health Organization identified mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), as a resurgent zoonotic epidemic caused by the mpox virus. It is an emerging and re-emerging pathogen with a range of hosts and geographical distribution worldwide. Peer-reviewed scientific articles from 1958 to 29 August 2024 related to global mpox research were extracted from Web of Science Core Collection and Google Scholar Databases to gauge the extent of the infection. Mpox is marked by a recent resurgence of infections across continents, with Africa being the hardest-hit region. The mpox re-emergence has shown a new mechanism of transmission, with several causes such as a rise in the number of unvaccinated individuals, behaviour risk factors, waning immunity, genetic evolution, and environmental circumstances. Preventive and control measures of mpox include vaccination and patient isolation, while treatment involves antivirals and antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections. Laboratory diagnosis entailing polymerase chain reaction can be effective for routine purposes, but results of serological tests must be interpreted with caution, because of cross-reacting determinants among orthopoxviruses. The structure and classification of the mpox virus, clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, epidemiology, historical antecedent, therapeutics, vaccines, and laboratory diagnosis of the disease are explicated, showcasing mpox as an emerging or re-emerging infection with a potential colossal burden on healthcare, and its classification as an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization.
This review provides the global situation of mpox as an emerging or re-emerging infection, warranting its designation as an international public health emergency.
世界卫生组织将猴痘（以前称为猴天花）确定为由猴痘病毒引起的再次出现的人畜共患病流行。它是一种新出现和再次出现的病原体，在全球范围内有一系列宿主和地理分布。从科学网核心合集和谷歌学术数据库中提取了1958年至2024年8月29日与全球猴痘研究相关的同行评审科学文章，以评估感染程度。猴痘的特点是近期各大洲感染病例再次出现，非洲是受影响最严重的地区。猴痘的再次出现显示出一种新的传播机制，其原因有多个，如未接种疫苗个体数量增加、行为风险因素、免疫力下降、基因进化和环境情况等。猴痘的预防和控制措施包括接种疫苗和隔离患者，而治疗则涉及使用抗病毒药物和针对继发性细菌感染的抗生素。聚合酶链反应进行的实验室诊断对常规目的可能有效，但血清学检测结果必须谨慎解读，因为正痘病毒之间存在交叉反应决定簇。本文阐述了猴痘病毒的结构和分类、临床表现、病理生理学、流行病学、历史背景、治疗方法、疫苗以及该疾病的实验室诊断，表明猴痘是一种新出现或再次出现的感染，可能给医疗保健带来巨大负担，并被世界卫生组织列为国际公共卫生紧急事件。
本综述提供了猴痘作为一种新出现或再次出现的感染的全球情况，证明其被指定为国际公共卫生紧急事件是合理的。
