Zoonotic Characteristics of mpox: Living Evidence Profile

Pillar 9
Knowledge, Implementation and Training Team (KITT)

Objective

With this living evidence profile, we aim to evaluate accumulating evidence related to the animal and zoonotic characteristics of the mpox virus, understand their relevance to the Canadian context and identify important gaps in evidence.

Context and Relevance

mpox is a zoonotic virus usually found in Central and West Africa, occasionally infecting humans in close contact with infected animals or contaminated materials (such as consumption of bushmeat, exposure to bodily fluids including blood and fecal matter, and hunting). While, in the past, cases were limited to Europe and United States, the most recent outbreak (as of May 2022) has led to several cases in many countries worldwide, including in Canada.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, more attention is being placed on novel disease outbreaks with pandemic potential. Faced with an increasing number of reports of mpox outbreaks in Africa and globally (linked to transmission between humans, rodents, and non-human primates), there is an urgent need to understand the virus’s natural host range, modes of transmission, clinical infection in animals, and management at the human-animal ecosystem interface.

Methods

Using standardized methods, we searched for clinical and public health policy guidelines, systematic and narrative reviews, and primary studies to examine various aspects of mpox, including animal-human transmission, suspected and susceptible host species, clinical characteristics, treatment, and prevention in animals.

Implication

These profiles, updated biweekly, will provide information to aid surveillance efforts to reduce public health risk and strategies to mitigate the ecological impact of mpox in both animal and human populations.

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Zoonotic Characteristics of mpox: Living Evidence Profile

Zoonotic Characteristics of mpox: Living Evidence Profile

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