Monkeypox Virus Has Potential to Be Sexually Transmitted

Recent outbreaks of mpox, an infection caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), have captured scientists’ and the public’s attention. In 2021, two mpox cases were reported in patients traveling directly from African countries to the United States, and cases increased at an alarming rate in multiple countries throughout the following year.1 Although the source of the virus is unknown, scientists detected strains in monkeys and humans decades ago, and its spread was mainly limited to direct human-to-animal contact.1 However, the strain causing the recent mpox outbreak has been closely associated with sexual contact between human patients harboring laboratory confirmed infections. Patients with mpox exhibit rashes on their hands, feet, chest, face, mouth, or near the genitals, which can progress through several painful and itchy stages.2 It remains unclear whether the spread is due to skin-to-skin contact with lesions and bodily fluids or transmission through seminal fluids. Answering this question has ...