{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,5]],"date-time":"2026-11-05T21:22:17Z","timestamp":1793913737695,"version":"4.8.0"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]],"date-time":"2025-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1759190400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"ANRS-MIE"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.mdpi.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The ongoing mpox clade Ib outbreak was first detected in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and was associated with sexual transmission. It emerged in Kamituga, a mining city and spread rapidly in surrounding health zones and reached cities like Bukavu and Goma. Here, we describe the clinical, epidemiological, and virological characteristics of the first case of clade Ib in Kinshasa, the capital city in the western DRC. The case involved a young adult woman from Kinshasa who reported unprotected sexual contact with an occasional partner, a former friend, and subsequently developed genital lesions, including vesicles and pustules. These lesions evolved and spread to the entire body, including the limbs, eyes, and soles. The diagnosis was confirmed by PCR and sequencing allowed us to assign clade Ib. We show that infection with mpox clade Ib through sexual transmission can lead to limbal nodular keratoconjunctivitis and focal conjunctivitis as complications. Importantly, these results suggest that clade Ib may have been circulating silently in Kinshasa prior to the official declaration by the Ministry of Health. This also raises concerns about the potential risk of global spread, as is currently being observed. Further studies are needed to investigate whether subsequent outbreaks of clade Ib in Kinshasa may have emerged independently of introductions from Kivu, pointing to a more complex pattern of co-circulation that could define the mpox epidemic in the capital.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v17101327","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]],"date-time":"2025-09-30T08:21:51Z","timestamp":1759220511000},"page":"1327","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Clade Ib Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): Clinical and Virological Report of the First Case in Kinshasa, the Capital City"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Franck","family":"Kasongo-Mulenda","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sylvie","family":"Lundi-Kizela","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Dermatologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sabrina","family":"Kalonji-Tshilomba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Dermatologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Deluxe","family":"Nsambayi-Lukusa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service d\u2019Ophtalmologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohesa","family":"Iteke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Dermatologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Richard","family":"Nkwembe-Mpileng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Dermatologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abraham","family":"Muswibwe","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Dermatologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Meris","family":"Matondo-Kuamfumu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anguy","family":"Makaka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-4742-7419","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Junior","family":"Bulabula-Penge","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Universit\u00e9 Protestante au Congo, Kinshasa P.O. Box 4745, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Servet","family":"Kinbonza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emile","family":"Malembi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hemorrhagic Fever and Monkeypox Program, Ministry of Health, Kinshasa P.O. Box 3088, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cris","family":"Kacita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hemorrhagic Fever and Monkeypox Program, Ministry of Health, Kinshasa P.O. Box 3088, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Robert Shongo","family":"Lushima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hemorrhagic Fever and Monkeypox Program, Ministry of Health, Kinshasa P.O. Box 3088, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Grace","family":"Otema-Akenda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hemorrhagic Fever and Monkeypox Program, Ministry of Health, Kinshasa P.O. Box 3088, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7581-9801","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emmanuel","family":"Lokilo-Lofiko","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elisabeth","family":"Pukuta-Simbu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5516-0779","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrienne","family":"Amuri-Aziza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eddy","family":"Kinganda-Lusamaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"TransVIHMI (Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les Maladies Infectieuses), Universit\u00e9 de Montpellier (UM), Institut de Recherche pour le D\u00e9veloppement (IRD), Institut National de Sant\u00e9 et de Recherche M\u00e9dicale (INSERM), 34090 Montpellier, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Prince","family":"Akil-Bandali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5081-1632","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahidjo","family":"Ayouba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransVIHMI (Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les Maladies Infectieuses), Universit\u00e9 de Montpellier (UM), Institut de Recherche pour le D\u00e9veloppement (IRD), Institut National de Sant\u00e9 et de Recherche M\u00e9dicale (INSERM), 34090 Montpellier, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martine","family":"Peeters","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransVIHMI (Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les Maladies Infectieuses), Universit\u00e9 de Montpellier (UM), Institut de Recherche pour le D\u00e9veloppement (IRD), Institut National de Sant\u00e9 et de Recherche M\u00e9dicale (INSERM), 34090 Montpellier, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eric","family":"Delaporte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TransVIHMI (Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les Maladies Infectieuses), Universit\u00e9 de Montpellier (UM), Institut de Recherche pour le D\u00e9veloppement (IRD), Institut National de Sant\u00e9 et de Recherche M\u00e9dicale (INSERM), 34090 Montpellier, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jean-Jacques","family":"Muyembe-Tamfum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Placide","family":"Mbala-Kingebeni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2850-7498","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antoine","family":"Nkuba-Ndaye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"TransVIHMI (Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les Maladies Infectieuses), Universit\u00e9 de Montpellier (UM), Institut de Recherche pour le D\u00e9veloppement (IRD), Institut National de Sant\u00e9 et de Recherche M\u00e9dicale (INSERM), 34090 Montpellier, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"V\u00e9ronique","family":"Kakiesse-Musumba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Service de Dermatologie, D\u00e9partement de Sp\u00e9cialit\u00e9, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Steve","family":"Ahuka-Mundeke","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut National de Recherche Biom\u00e9dicale (INRB), Kinshasa P.O. Box 1197, Democratic Republic of the Congo"},{"name":"Service de Microbiologie, D\u00e9partement de Biologie M\u00e9dicale, Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, Universit\u00e9 de Kinshasa, Kinshasa P.O. Box 127, Democratic Republic of the Congo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"WHO (2024, August 21). WHO Director-General Declares Mpox Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news\/item\/14-08-2024-who-director-general-declares-mpox-outbreak-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2400106","DOI":"10.2807\/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.11.2400106","article-title":"Ongoing Mpox Outbreak in Kamituga, South Kivu Province, Associated with Monkeypox Virus of a Novel Clade I Sub-Lineage, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2024","volume":"29","author":"Masirika","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eurosurveillance"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2791","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-024-03130-3","article-title":"Sustained Human Outbreak of a New MPXV Clade I Lineage in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo","volume":"30","author":"Vakaniaki","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat. Med."},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"(2024, August 21). WHO Mpox (Monkeypox)\u2014Democratic Republic of the Congo. Available online: https:\/\/www.who.int\/emergencies\/disease-outbreak-news\/item\/2023-DON493."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cell.2024.10.017","article-title":"Clade I Monkeypox Virus Genomic Diversity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2018\u20132024: Predominance of Zoonotic Transmission 2024","volume":"188","author":"Pratt","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cell"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e3002151","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pbio.3002151","article-title":"Development of an Amplicon-Based Sequencing Approach in Response to the Global Emergence of Mpox","volume":"21","author":"Chen","year":"2023","journal-title":"PLoS Biol."},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"2400592","article-title":"Co-Circulation of Monkeypox Virus Subclades Ia and Ib in Kinshasa Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, July to August 2024","volume":"29","author":"Lokilo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Eurosurveillance"},{"key":"ref_8","unstructured":"Mbala-Kingebeni, P. (2024, October 24). APOBEC3 Deaminase Editing Supports Human-to-Human Transmission in Escalating Mpox Outbreaks of Both Clade Ia and Ib in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, July\u2013September 2024. Available online: https:\/\/virological.org\/t\/apobec3-deaminase-editing-supports-human-to-human-transmission-in-escalating-mpox-outbreaks-of-both-clade-ia-and-ib-in-kinshasa-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-july-september-2024\/982."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mukadi-Bamuleka, D., Kinganda-Lusamaki, E., Mulopo-Mukanya, N., Amuri-Aziza, A., O\u2019Toole, \u00c1., Modadra-Madakpa, B., Ndongala, G.M., Vakaniaki, E.H., Merritt, S., and Kacita, C. (2024). First Imported Cases of MPXV Clade Ib in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo: Implications for Global Surveillance and Transmission Dynamics. medRxiv.","DOI":"10.1101\/2024.09.12.24313188"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"106817","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijsu.2022.106817","article-title":"The Past, Present, and Future of a Silent Multi-Country Human Monkeypox Outbreak 2022\u2014Correspondence","volume":"104","author":"Rouhani","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Surg."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e2446","DOI":"10.1002\/rmv.2446","article-title":"Clinical Manifestations of Human Mpox Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis","volume":"33","author":"Yon","year":"2023","journal-title":"Rev. Med. Virol."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"547","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(25)00047-9","article-title":"Epidemiological and Clinical Features of Mpox during the Clade Ib Outbreak in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Prospective Cohort Study","volume":"405","author":"Brosius","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"Valaciclovir (2006). Meyler\u2019s Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and Interactions, Elsevier."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Horton, A., Berryman, H., Surani, Y.M., Bewley, K., Wand, M.E., Sutton, J.M., and Tree, J.A. (2025). The Antiviral Activity of Licensed Therapeutics against Mpox Clade Ib, in Vitro; Alternative Options for the Treatment of Mpox. bioRxiv.","DOI":"10.1101\/2025.01.11.632516"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"The PALM007 Writing Group (2025). Tecovirimat for Clade I MPXV Infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo. N. Engl. J. Med., 392, 1484\u20131496.","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa2412439"}],"container-title":["Viruses"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-4915\/17\/10\/1327\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]],"date-time":"2025-09-30T08:26:30Z","timestamp":1759220790000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1999-4915\/17\/10\/1327"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]}},"alternative-id":["v17101327"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/v17101327","relation":{},"ISSN":["1999-4915"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1999-4915","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,30]]}}}