Adler et al. conducted a retrospective observational study of monkeypox cases in the UK from 2018 to 2021 and identified seven patients with monkeypox infection. Four cases acquired their infection abroad, while one was a health-care worker exposed nosocomially and two were infected in the household. All patients recovered but they were hospitalized for up to 39 days and one patient developed an abscess. Of note, PCR of nose or throat swabs was positive for a prolonged time, even after skin lesions had scabbed over, which extended isolation. Three patients received the antiviral brincidofovir, which did not show a clear sign of efficacy but increased liver enzymes. One patient received tecovirimat, and this patient improved more quickly than others and could leave hospital after 10 days. Of note, one patient experienced a short relapse 6 weeks after hospital release with PCR-positive lesions and upper-respiratory tract swabs. The authors note that it is a relatively small case series and stress the importance of further work, including determination of infectious virus in addition to PCR and further tests of antivirals.
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Adler, H. et al. Clinical features and management of human monkeypox: a retrospective observational study in the UK. Lancet Infect. Dis. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00228-6 (2022)
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Hofer, U. Case series of monkeypox infections. Nat Rev Microbiol 20, 445 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-022-00757-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-022-00757-2