Infection with Mpox Virus Via the Genital Mucosae Increases Shedding and Transmission in the Multimammate Rat (Mastomys Natalensis)

Overview

Journal Nat Microbiol

Specialties Microbiology
Parasitology

Date 2024 Apr 22

PMID 38649413

Authors

Julia R Port

Jade C Riopelle

Samuel G Smith

Lara Myers

Franziska K Kaiser

Matthew C Lewis

Shane Gallogly

Atsushi Okumura

Trent Bushmaker

Jonathan E Schulz

Rebecca Rosenke

Jessica Prado-Smith

Aaron Carmody

Sidy Bane

Brian J Smith

Greg Saturday

Heinz Feldmann

Kyle Rosenke

Vincent J Munster

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The 2022 mpox virus (MPXV) outbreak was sustained by human-to-human transmission; however, it is currently unclear which factors lead to sustained transmission of MPXV. Here we present Mastomys natalensis as a model for MPXV transmission after intraperitoneal, rectal, vaginal, aerosol and transdermal inoculation with an early 2022 human outbreak isolate (Clade IIb). Virus shedding and tissue replication were route dependent and occurred in the presence of self-resolving localized skin, lung, reproductive tract or rectal lesions. Mucosal inoculation via the rectal, vaginal and aerosol routes led to increased shedding, replication and a pro-inflammatory T cell profile compared with skin inoculation. Contact transmission was higher from rectally inoculated animals. This suggests that transmission might be sustained by increased susceptibility of the anal and genital mucosae for infection and subsequent virus release.

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