Eurosurv. Isolation of viable monkeypox virus from anal and urethral swabs, Italy, May to July 2022

[tetano]

• Davide Moschese[SUP]1[/SUP] , Giacomo Pozza[SUP]2[/SUP] , Davide Mileto[SUP]3[/SUP] , Andrea Giacomelli[SUP]2[/SUP] , Miriam Cutrera[SUP]3[/SUP] , Maria Vittoria Cossu[SUP]1[/SUP] , Maddalena Matone[SUP]1[/SUP] , Martina Beltrami[SUP]2[/SUP] , Federica Salari[SUP]3[/SUP] , Spinello Antinori[SUP]4[/SUP] , Alessandra Lombardi[SUP]3[/SUP] , Giuliano Rizzardini[SUP]1[/SUP]

Anal and urethral samples from confirmed cases of monkeypox were screened for monkeypox virus (MPXV) by real-time PCR. Isolation of the virus was subsequently attempted in cell culture. Actively-replicating virus was demonstrated in 13 of 18 and 11 of 15 PCR-positive anal and urethral swabs, respectively, collected within 7 days from symptoms onset. Two asymptomatic secondary cases had detectable MPXV genetic material in urethral secretion and for one, MPXV was successfully isolated, supporting a potential MPXV sexual transmission hypothesis.


https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.36.2200675#html_fulltext