The Mpox virus belongs to the same genus (Orthopoxvirus) as the Variola virus, the etiological agent of smallpox, and is a zoonotic virus. Mpox has largely been endemic to Africa, but in early 2022, there was a global outbreak with widespread Mpox cases from North America and Europe, which was linked to Mpox clade IIb. During this outbreak, Mpox was prevalent primarily among men who have sex with men, and most immunocompetent patients experienced only mild rashes and lesions.
However, immunocompromised individuals, such as those with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, experienced severe manifestations, including extensive mucosal lesions affecting the oral, genital, urethral, and rectal regions, ocular lesions, myopericarditis, and neurological complications. This report discussed the findings from studies on animal models and medical countermeasures used to treat other Orthopoxvirus infections to present interim clinical considerations to treat severe Mpox cases.
