MONKEYPOX

Monkeypox virus is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae which also includes the Variola virus and Cowpox virus.

It was initially discovered in 1958 as a pox-like disease that occurred in monkeys, and then in 1970, in people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Monkeypox has become endemic in various African countries which transmits by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials.

In May 2022, multiple cases of monkeypox were identified in several non-endemic countries, such as Portugal, the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and the United States of America.

What are the symptoms ?

The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkeypox is usually 7−14 days but can range from 5−21 days.

Fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes are common symptoms of monkeypox, which can lead to a variety of medical issues.

Specimen Collection and Sample Preparation

Laboratory personnel with the necessary experience and understanding should collect specimens while wearing personal protective equipment and, it is suggested to collect specimens with dry sterile lesions swabs from different lesions in different locations in the body.

Specimen swabs can be stored in sterile containers or 1.5 - 2 ml screw tubes as recommended by WHO and CDC or specimen swabs may be placed in viral transport media and transported with a temperature of 2-8°C for up to 2 days.

DNA extraction may be performed by any commercial DNA extraction/isolation kit according to the type of sample.

INOGene-MPXV RT-PCR Detection Kit

The INOGene-MPXV is designed to qualitatively detect the Monkeypox virus in extracted RNA samples from skin lesions using real-time PCR equipment.

The kit comes in packages of 25 and 50 reactions and includes Reaction mix, Primer probe mix, negative control, and positive control.

To check for contamination, reagent performance, and DNA extraction, the kit contains negative, positive, and internal controls.