New nomenclature for mpox (monkeypox) and monkeypox virus clades

• Published in: The Lancet infectious diseases 2023-03, Vol.23 (3), p.273-275
• Main Authors: Ulaeto, David, Agafonov, Alexander, Burchfield, Jennifer, Carter, Lisa, Happi, Christian, Jakob, Robert, Krpelanova, Eva, Kuppalli, Krutika, Lefkowitz, Elliot J, Mauldin, Matthew R, de Oliveira, Tulio, Onoja, Bernard, Otieno, James, Rambaut, Andrew, Subissi, Lorenzo, Yinka-Ogunleye, Adesola, Lewis, Rosamund F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Allergies; Biotechnology; Comment; Disease control; Epidemics; Grass roots movement; Human rights; Humans; Infectious diseases; Monkeypox virus; Mpox; Mpox (monkeypox); Names; Nomenclature; Nomenclatures; Outbreaks; Public health; Research facilities; Scientists; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Smallpox; Taxonomy; Viral diseases; Viruses
• ISSN: 1473-3099; 1474-4457; 1474-4457
• DOI: 10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00055-5

The Director-General of WHO called on member states to ensure respect for human rights and to address stigma and discrimination.3 As of Jan 31, 2023, there were 85 549 confirmed cases of mpox reported by 110 countries, including 89 deaths.2 Mpox is caused by the species monkeypox virus (MPXV), genus Orthopoxvirus, discovered in 1958 in a primate research facility in Denmark, with the first human case reported in 1970.4 Two virus clades were identified: the Congo Basin (or central African) clade and the west African clade.5 Although stigma became a concern during outbreaks in Africa,6 the 2022 global outbreak reignited discussion with proposals to rename virus clades.7 Although the nomenclature of virus variants is the remit of scientists, reaching consensus quickly was important. Participants included orthopoxvirologists, evolutionary biologists, and other scientists from (1) WHO collaborating centres on orthopoxviruses at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Russian State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology; (2) the WHO Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution; (3) the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research; (4) the Poxviridae study group of the International Committee on the Taxonomy of Viruses; (5) research and public health institutes in Africa and around the world; and (6) public virus-sequence databases. Flickr -NIAID/NIH EJL was supported by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under award number U24AI162625.