Research priorities for mpox virus and transmission through sexual contact published

Mpox virus and transmission through sexual contact: Defining the research agenda

31.01.2023 – Prof. Nicola Low collaborated with an international team of colleagues to identify unanswered questions about mpox virus and its transmission through sexual contact.

A multi-country outbreak of mpox (formerly monkeypox) started in 2022 and has remained almost exclusively among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Mpox virus is not a new pathogen but was previously transmitted almost exclusively through direct contact with sick animals in a limited number of countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Mpox lesion
Mpox lesion

By 27th January 2023, there had been more than 85,000 diagnosed cases of mpox in 110 countries. In the article, published in PLOS Medicine, Prof. Low and her co-authors recommend cross-national research studies in multidisciplinary teams involving existing research cohorts and using harmonized protocols.

Photo: with permission of the patient and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Trust, via Dr. Rachael Jones