MPOX (Monkeypox)

Paul G. Auwaerter, M.D.
MPOX (Monkeypox) is a topic covered in the Johns Hopkins HIV Guide.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Official website of the Johns Hopkins Antibiotic (ABX), HIV, Diabetes, and Psychiatry Guides, powered by Unbound Medicine. Johns Hopkins Guide App for iOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android included. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

MICROBIOLOGY

  • DNA virus and member of the orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family, monkeypox is similar to smallpox (variola virus), smallpox vaccine (vaccinia virus), and cowpox virus.
    • In November 2022, WHO renamed "monkeypox" to "MPOX," with some using lowercase "mpox," allowing for a one-year transition when both names would be recognized.
      • The idea was to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with the "monkeypox" name and ensure that the infection is not associated much with non-human primates.
    • WHO is using roman numerals for MPXV variants.
      • The former Congo Basin (Central African) clade is now Clade I.
        • Has high reported human-to-human transmission rates and mortality (up to 10%).
      • The former West African clade is Clade II.
        • Clade IIa
          • It causes a mild illness with limited human-to-human transmission and low mortality (~1-3%).
        • Clade IIb refers to variants circulating in the 2022 global outbreak.
  • Although named monkeypox, the animal reservoir is believed to be African rodents but has not been fully defined.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

MICROBIOLOGY

  • DNA virus and member of the orthopoxvirus genus of the Poxviridae family, monkeypox is similar to smallpox (variola virus), smallpox vaccine (vaccinia virus), and cowpox virus.
    • In November 2022, WHO renamed "monkeypox" to "MPOX," with some using lowercase "mpox," allowing for a one-year transition when both names would be recognized.
      • The idea was to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with the "monkeypox" name and ensure that the infection is not associated much with non-human primates.
    • WHO is using roman numerals for MPXV variants.
      • The former Congo Basin (Central African) clade is now Clade I.
        • Has high reported human-to-human transmission rates and mortality (up to 10%).
      • The former West African clade is Clade II.
        • Clade IIa
          • It causes a mild illness with limited human-to-human transmission and low mortality (~1-3%).
        • Clade IIb refers to variants circulating in the 2022 global outbreak.
  • Although named monkeypox, the animal reservoir is believed to be African rodents but has not been fully defined.

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.

Last updated: March 9, 2023