1. Different Coexisting Mpox Lineages Were Continuously Circulating in Humans Prior to 2022
- Author
-
Nnaemeka Ndodo, Jonathan Ashcroft, Kuiama Lewandowski, Adesola Yinka-Ogunleye, Chimaobi Chukwu, Adama Ahmad, David King, Afolabi Akinpelu, Carlos Maluquer de Motes, Paolo Ribeca, Rebecca P. Sumner, Andrew Rambaut, Michael Chester, Tom Maishman, Oluwafemi Bamidele, Nwando Mba, Olajumoke Babatunde, Olusola Aruna, Steven T. Pullan, Benedict Gannon, Colin Brown, Chikwe Ihekweazu, Ifedayo Adetifa, and David O. Ulaeto
- Abstract
The origin and hazardous potential of human mpox is obscured by a lack of genomic data between the 2018, when exportations from Nigeria were recorded, and 2022 when the global outbreak started. Here, 18 genomes from patients across southern Nigeria in 2019/20 reveal multiple lineages of Monkeypox virus have achieved sustained human-to-human transmission, co-existing in humans for several years and accumulating mutations consistent with APOBEC3 activity suggesting the virus in humans is now segregated from its natural reservoir. Remarkably, three genomes have disruptions in the A46R gene, which contributes to innate immune modulation. The data demonstrates that the A.2 lineage, multiply exported to North America since 2021 independently of the global outbreak, has persisted in Nigeria for more than two years prior to its latest exportation.One-Sentence SummaryMpox is now a human diseae evolving in humans with multiple variants taking separate paths towards adaptation, some analogous to those ofVariola
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF