Virus Identification for Monkeypox in Human Seminal Fluid Samples: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Public health officials around the world are extremely concerned about the global outbreak of monkeypox (MPX), which has been claimed to have originated in Africa. As a result, studies into the origins and reasons behind the outbreak’s rapid spread have been sped up. The goal of the current investigation is to determine whether the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is present in seminal fluid samples from MPX cases that have been verified. Up until 6 January 2023, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and ScienceDirect databases were used to conduct a thorough evaluation of the literature. The search technique returned a total of 308 items. Fourteen studies reporting the presence of MPXV in the seminal fluid of MPX-confirmed cases were included after the duplicates (n = 158) and searches by title, abstract, and full text were eliminated. In 84 out of the 643 confirmed MPX cases (13.06% or n = 643), MPXV was discovered in seminal fluid. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to identify MPXV, and samples taken from skin lesions (96.27%), pharynx or oropharynx (30.48%), and blood all had higher positivity rates than other samples (12.44%). Additionally, 99.85% of respondents were male with a mean age of 36, 98.45% engaged in MSM (men who have sex with men) sexual conduct, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) accounted for 56.9% of all STD cases. This study offers proof that MPXV can be found in the seminal fluid of MPX sufferers. Our data imply that MPXV transmission is a possibility in these samples and that MSM are more vulnerable to it. The creation of hygienic standards is essential for the early identification of MPX cases.

Prevalence of intentions to receive monkeypox vaccine. A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In addition, the results may indicate an increased awareness among study subjects of the importance of prevention in different groups that have faced barriers to medical care. The current Mpox outbreak continues to impact primarily men who have sex with men and who have reported having recent sexual encounters with one or more male partners [ 52 ]. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor people who have been in contact with the reported cases in order to prevent the spread of this disease.…”

Longitudinal Analysis of Mpox Virus DNA Detectability From Multiple Specimen Types During Acute Illness: A Cohort Study

“…Further, MPXV DNA levels may not change in a monotonic fashion in semen and/or in other specimen types, which was a simplifying assumption in our models. In a systematic review on MPXV DNA detectability in semen samples, semen PCR testing was positive in 84/643 (13.1%) of confirmed mpox cases, although the number of people tested, the participants’ stage of illness, and the Ct threshold used to define PCR positivity were not reported [ 27 ]. In a separate review regarding the PCR positivity rate in semen, a meta-analysis of 5 studies yielded a semen positivity rate of 72.4% (95% CI, 55.7%–84.5%), although again the timing of specimen collection and the Ct value cutoff were not specified [ 28 ].…”

Descripción del brote de infección por el virus mpox (antes denominado viruela del mono) en España, abril-diciembre 2022

“…Inicialmente hubo cierto debate si se debía considerar a la infección por mpox como una infección de transmisión sexual (ITS) (10) . Sin embargo, la asociación con la actividad sexual, la afectación de manera importante de hombres que tienen sexo con hombres, la localización de las lesiones en la zona anogenital y la presencia del virus en fluido seminal (11) apoyan su comportamiento como una ITS. La consideración de la infección por mpox como una ITS en este brote tiene importancia desde el punto de vista de las medidas de salud pública que se han puesto en marcha (información y concienciación a la población a riesgo, vacunación, promoción del diagnóstico y diagnóstico diferencial con otras ITS, etc) (12) .…”