Genetic analysis of recent monkeypox cases suggests there are two distinct strains in the U.S., health officials said Friday, raising the possibility that the …
Genetic analysis of recent monkeypox cases suggests there are two distinct strains in the U.S., health officials said Friday, raising the possibility that the virus has been circulating undetected for some time. Many of the U.S. cases were caused by the same strain as recent cases in Europe, but a few samples show a different strain, federal health officials said. Each strain had been seen in U.S. cases last year, before the recent international outbreak was identified.
„The strain of the monkeypox virus affecting patients in this outbreak is the West African clade and that is less severe than other known clades [such as] the Congo Basin clade, meaning that in historical outbreaks in Africa it has led to fewer deaths.“ said Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director for the CDC’s Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology. „Analysis from many more patients will be needed to determine how long monkeypox has been circulating in the U.
