The emergence of new lineages of the Monkeypox virus could affect the 2022 outbreak.

Abstract

Human Mpox is a highly contagious viral disease caused by Mpox virus, currently causing outbreaks in various regions of the world and considered a global public health problem. Understanding how the virus adapts or transfers to a new host species is crucial for effective prevention and treatment of viral infections. A comprehensive analysis of 1,318 accessible Mpox genomes was conducted to assess potential phenotypic effects, incorporating the examination of pseudogenes, gene duplication and deletion, as well as sequences obtained from the 2022 outbreak. This study we analyzed the genomic sequences of Mpox viruses from different clades and found that only a small percentage of proteins were conserved across the analyzed clades, with many proteins exhibiting various mutations, indicating the potential correlation between lineage or clade and variations in the pathology of human Mpox disease. The study highlights the importance of analyzing aligned regions in viral genomes to understand the evolution of the virus and the impact of structural changes on protein functions. In brief, further investigations are required to establish a correlation between the effects of these genetic modifications and the novel transmission pathways, average age, clinical manifestations, and symptoms observed in the ongoing outbreak.