Differences in cycle threshold values in RT-PCR tests between children and adults with monkeypox: Results from a community-based cross-sectional study

• Published in: Travel medicine and infectious disease 2023-03, Vol.52, p.102560, Article 102560
• Main Authors: Martins-Filho, Paulo Ricardo, Menezes Dorea, Fernanda Cardoso, Brito Bezerra, Gabriela Vasconcelos, dos Santos, Cliomar Alves
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Biological samples; Child; Children; Conflicts of interest; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Infectious diseases; Monkeypox; Mpox; Mpox (monkeypox) - diagnosis; Mpox (monkeypox) - epidemiology; Nucleotide sequence; PCR; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Travel medicine; Young adults
• ISSN: 1477-8939; 1873-0442; 1873-0442
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2023.102560

Recently, we have demonstrated that skin samples had a higher RT-PCR positivity rate and lower cycle threshold (Ct) values compared to other biological samples, indicating a higher viral load and reinforcing the role of direct cutaneous contact in transmission [3]. Individuals under 18 years of age with MPOX have higher Ct values compared to adults, which could indicate lower infectivity and reduced ability to transmit the disease. [...]the majority of individuals with a Ct value below 25 are young adults, who have the highest incidence of MPOX. [...]research is required to fully understand the differences in infectivity between children and adults for the MPOX virus.Authors contributions All authors contributed equally to this manuscript.Financial source There is no funding source.Ethical considerations Formal ethical approval is not required as all data included are anonymous secondary data.Declaration of competing interest The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.Acknowledgements We would like to thank Dra.