Human Monkeypox in the Kivus, a Conflict Region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Andrea M. McCollum Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Andrea M. McCollum in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Yoshinori Nakazawa Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Yoshinori Nakazawa in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Guy Mutombo Ndongala Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Guy Mutombo Ndongala in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Elisabeth Pukuta Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Elisabeth Pukuta in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Stomy Karhemere Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Stomy Karhemere in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Robert Shongo Lushima Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Robert Shongo Lushima in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Benoit Kebela Ilunga Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Benoit Kebela Ilunga in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Joelle Kabamba Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Joelle Kabamba in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Kimberly Wilkins Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Kimberly Wilkins in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Jinxin Gao Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Jinxin Gao in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Yu Li Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Yu Li in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Ginny Emerson Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Ginny Emerson in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Inger K. Damon Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Inger K. Damon in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Darin S. Carroll Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Darin S. Carroll in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Mary G. Reynolds Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Mary G. Reynolds in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
,
Jean Malekani Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Jean Malekani in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
, and
Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia; Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo; University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Search for other papers by Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed Close
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.15-0095
Volume/Issue:
Volume 93: Issue 4
Page(s):
718–721
Restricted access
Get Permissions

Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus infection endemic in central and western Africa. Human MPX cases occur in the central and northern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and this is the first report of confirmed MPX cases in the forested areas of North and South Kivu Provinces, with a detailed epidemiological investigation for one case. The location of each case is within areas predicted to be suitable for MPX virus transmission based on an ecological niche model. Phylogenetic analysis places these viruses in the Congo Basin clade.

Author Notes

* Address correspondence to Andrea M. McCollum, 1600 Clifton Road, MS A-30, Atlanta, GA 30333. E-mail: azv4@cdc.gov

Authors' addresses: Andrea M. McCollum, Yoshinori Nakazawa, Kimberly Wilkins, Jinxin Gao, Yu Li, Ginny Emerson, Inger K. Damon, Darin S. Carroll, and Mary G. Reynolds, Poxvirus and Rabies Branch, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, E-mails: azv4@cdc.gov, inp7@cdc.gov, ibx4@cdc.gov, wzo5@cdc.gov, dtt4@cdc.gov, iad7@cdc.gov, zuz4@cdc.gov, and nzr6@cdc.gov. Guy Mutombo Ndongala, Division Provinciale de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Goma, Nord-Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, E-mail: guymutombon@yahoo.fr. Elisabeth Pukuta, Stomy Karhemere, and Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, E-mails: elisepukuta@gmail.com, stomy_karhem@yahoo.fr, and muyembejj@gmail.com. Robert Shongo Lushima and Benoit Kebela Ilunga, Ministère de la Santé Publique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, E-mails: robert_shongo@yahoo.fr and kebelailunga@yahoo.fr. Joelle Kabamba, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, E-mail: jlz7@cdc.gov. Jean Malekani, University of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, E-mail: elevagefaune@yahoo.fr.

Copyright:
© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2015
Received:
02 Feb 2015
|
Accepted:
31 Mar 2015
|
Published Online:
07 Oct 2015
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
  • 1.

    Di Giulio DB, Eckburg PB, 2004. Human monkeypox: an emerging zoonosis. Lancet Infect Dis 4: 15–25.

  • 2.

    Jezek Z, Szczeniowski M, Paluku KM, Mutombo M, 1987. Human monkeypox: clinical features of 282 patients. J Infect Dis 156: 293–298.

  • 3.

    Reynolds MG, Damon IK, 2012. Outbreaks of human monkeypox after cessation of smallpox vaccination. Trends Microbiol 20: 80–87.

  • 4.

    Rimoin AW, Kisalu N, Kebela-Ilunga B, Mukaba T, Wright LL, Formenty P, Wolfe ND, Shongo RL, Tshioko F, Okitolonda E, Muyembe JJ, Ryder R, Meyer H, 2007. Endemic human monkeypox, Democratic Republic of Congo, 2001–2004. Emerg Infect Dis 13: 934–937.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 5.

    Mutombo M, Arita I, Jezek Z, 1983. Human monkeypox transmitted by a chimpanzee in a tropical rain-forest area of Zaire. Lancet 1: 735–737.

  • 6.

    Kulesh DA, Baker RO, Loveless BM, Norwood D, Zwiers SH, Mucker E, Hartmann C, Herrera R, Miller D, Christensen D, Wasieloski LP Jr, Huggins J, Jahrling PB, 2004. Smallpox and pan-orthopox virus detection by real-time 3′-minor groove binder TaqMan assays on the roche LightCycler and the Cepheid smart Cycler platforms. J Clin Microbiol 42: 601–609.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 7.

    Li Y, Olson VA, Laue T, Laker MT, Damon IK, 2006. Detection of monkeypox virus with real-time PCR assays. J Clin Virol 36: 194–203.

  • 8.

    Li Y, Zhao H, Wilkins K, Hughes C, Damon IK, 2010. Real-time PCR assays for the specific detection of monkeypox virus west African and Congo Basin strain DNA. J Virol Methods 169: 223–227.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 9.

    Nakazawa Y, Emerson GL, Carroll DS, Zhao H, Li Y, Reynolds MG, Karem KL, Olson VA, Lash RR, Davidson WB, Smith SK, Levine RS, Regnery RL, Sammons SA, Frace MA, Mutasim EM, Karsani ME, Muntasir MO, Babiker AA, Opoka L, Chowdhary V, Damon IK, 2013. Phylogenetic and ecologic perspectives of a monkeypox outbreak, southern Sudan, 2005. Emerg Infect Dis 19: 237–245.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 10.

    Phillips SJ, Anderson RP, Schapire RE, 2006. Maximum entropy modeling of species geographic distributions. Ecol Modell 190: 231–259.

  • 11.

    Phillips SJ, Dudik M, Schapire RE, 2004. A maximum entropy approach to species distribution modeling. Proceedings of the Twenty-First International Conference on Machine Learning. 655–662.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 12.

    Huelsenbeck JP, Ronquist F, 2001. MRBAYES: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees. Bioinformatics 17: 754–755.

  • 13.

    Kearse M, Moir R, Wilson A, Stones-Havas S, Cheung M, Sturrock S, Buxton S, Cooper A, Markowitz S, Duran C, Thierer T, Ashton B, Meintjes P, Drummond A, 2012. Geneious Basic: an integrated and extendable desktop software platform for the organization and analysis of sequence data. Bioinformatics 28: 1647–1649.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 14.

    Emerson GL, Li Y, Frace MA, Olsen-Rasmussen MA, Khristova ML, Govil D, Sammons SA, Regnery RL, Karem KL, Damon IK, Carroll DS, 2009. The phylogenetics and ecology of the orthopoxviruses endemic to North America. PLoS One 4: e7666.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 15.

    UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency, 2013. Emergency Response for the Situation in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

  • 16.

    Reynolds MG, Emerson GL, Pukuta E, Karhemere S, Muyembe JJ, Bikindou A, McCollum AM, Moses C, Wilkins K, Zhao H, Damon IK, Karem KL, Li Y, Carroll DS, Mombouli JV, 2013. Detection of human monkeypox in the Republic of the Congo following intensive community education. Am J Trop Med Hyg 88: 982–985.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
  • 17.

    Rimoin AW, Mulembakani PM, Johnston SC, Lloyd Smith JO, Kisalu NK, Kinkela TL, Blumberg S, Thomassen HA, Pike BL, Fair JN, Wolfe ND, Shongo RL, Graham BS, Formenty P, Okitolonda E, Hensley LE, Meyer H, Wright LL, Muyembe JJ, 2010. Major increase in human monkeypox incidence 30 years after smallpox vaccination campaigns cease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107: 16262–16267.

    • PubMed
    • Search Google Scholar
    • Export Citation
Past two years Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 7881 7675 2077
Full Text Views 1418 42 5
PDF Downloads 792 37 6
 
 
 
 
Affiliate Membership Banner
 
 
Research for Health Information Banner
 
 
CLOCKSS
 
 
 
Society Publishers Coalition Banner
Save