{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T00:36:31Z","timestamp":1760142991991,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,20]],"date-time":"2024-01-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1705708800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Pathogens"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The recent Mpox virus (MPV) outbreak in Europe and North America, primarily among men who have sex with men (MSM), raised concerns about various transmission sources. We examined patients with Mpox from an urban STI center in Lombardy, Italy, between May and August 2022. Demographic, transmission, and clinical data were collected using a standardized form. Initial and subsequent tests were conducted using the RealStar Orthopoxvirus PCR Kit 1.0 (Altona Diagnostics, Hamburg, Germany) for skin lesions and oropharyngeal swabs. A total of 15 patients were recruited, all MSM, with 40% being HIV-positive. Almost all reported recent unprotected sexual activity. Oropharyngeal symptoms were observed in a minority, and oral cavity lesions were present in 20% of cases. MPV DNA was detected in skin lesions of 93% of patients and in oropharyngeal swabs of 87%. Skin samples exhibited a higher viral load than pharyngeal samples, with the latter persisting longer. Prospective follow-up of 11 individuals revealed an average pharyngeal persistence of 5.3 days beyond skin lesion clearance, reaching up to 80 days in an immunosuppressed case. Our findings indicate that MPV replication can persist in the pharynx asymptomatically and for an extended period.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/pathogens13010092","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,22]],"date-time":"2024-01-22T12:01:13Z","timestamp":1705924873000},"page":"92","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Mpox Virus in the Pharynx of Men Having Sex with Men: A Case Series"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Silvia","family":"Limonta","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS \u201cSan Gerardo dei Tintori\u201d, 20900 Monza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9976-8102","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Lapadula","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS \u201cSan Gerardo dei Tintori\u201d, 20900 Monza, Italy"},{"name":"School of Medicine, University of Milano Bicocca, 20900 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luca","family":"Mezzadri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Medicine, University of Milano Bicocca, 20900 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Corsico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS \u201cSan Gerardo dei Tintori\u201d, 20900 Monza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Francesca","family":"Rovida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Paediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"SC Microbiology and Virology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alice","family":"Ranzani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS \u201cSan Gerardo dei Tintori\u201d, 20900 Monza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fausto","family":"Baldanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical, Surgical, Diagnostic and Paediatric Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy"},{"name":"SC Microbiology and Virology, IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7289-8823","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paolo","family":"Bonfanti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"IRCCS \u201cSan Gerardo dei Tintori\u201d, 20900 Monza, Italy"},{"name":"School of Medicine, University of Milano Bicocca, 20900 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2005). Second Meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR), Emergency Committee regarding the Multi-Country Outbreak of Monkeypox."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"(1970, January 01). Joint ECDC-WHO Regional Office for Europe Mpox Surveillance Bulletin. Available online: https:\/\/monkeypoxreport.ecdc.europa.eu\/."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"2200503","article-title":"Frequent detection of monkeypox virus DNA in saliva, semen, and other clinical samples from 12 patients, Barcelona, Spain, May to June 2022","volume":"27","author":"Fuertes","year":"2022","journal-title":"Euro Surveill."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"2200471","article-title":"Monkeypox outbreak predominantly affecting men who have sex with men, Madrid, Spain, 26 April to 16 June 2022","volume":"27","year":"2022","journal-title":"Euro Surveill."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"661","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(22)01436-2","article-title":"Clinical presentation and virological assessment of confirmed human monkeypox virus cases in Spain: A prospective observational cohort study","volume":"400","author":"Alemany","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1321","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(22)00411-X","article-title":"Demographic and clinical characteristics of confirmed human monkeypox virus cases in individuals attending a sexual health centre in London; UK: An observational analysis","volume":"22","author":"Girometti","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"679","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa2207323","article-title":"Monkeypox Virus Infection in Humans across 16 Countries\u2014April\u2013June 2022","volume":"387","author":"Thornhill","year":"2022","journal-title":"N. Engl. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e072410","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj-2022-072410","article-title":"Clinical features and novel presentations of human monkeypox in a central London centre during the 2022 outbreak: Descriptive case series","volume":"378","author":"Patel","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1153","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(22)00228-6","article-title":"Clinical features and management of human monkeypox: A retrospective observational study in the UK","volume":"22","author":"Adler","year":"2022","journal-title":"Lancet Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"105372","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jcv.2022.105372","article-title":"Alternative sampling specimens for the molecular detection of mpox (formerly monkeypox) virus","volume":"159","author":"Coppens","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Clin. Virol."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2200598","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.33.2200598","article-title":"The relevance of multiple clinical specimens in the diagnosis of monkeypox virus; Spain; June 2022","volume":"27","author":"Veintimilla","year":"2022","journal-title":"Euro Surveill."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e277","DOI":"10.1016\/S2666-5247(23)00034-4","article-title":"Mpox respiratory transmission: The state of the evidence","volume":"4","author":"Beeson","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Microbe"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"445","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(22)00794-0","article-title":"Viral dynamics in patients with monkeypox infection: A prospective cohort study in Spain","volume":"23","author":"Ubals","year":"2023","journal-title":"Lancet Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"102448","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tmaid.2022.102448","article-title":"Polymerase chain reaction positivity and cycle threshold values in biological samples from patients with monkeypox: A meta-analysis","volume":"50","author":"Tanajura","year":"2022","journal-title":"Travel Med. Infect. 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