Newsweek: Monkeypox mutates at unprecedented rate with "accelerated evolution"

Researchers investigating the genetic make-up of the monkeypox virus have said the virus appears to have mutated far, far more than would normally be expected.

The work has been outlined in a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine. As part of the study, Portuguese researchers collected 15 monkeypox virus sequences in total—mostly from Portugal—and reconstructed their genetic data, Newsweek reported on June 24.

Monkeypox is a rare disease believed to have its origin in animals. It is from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Usually, monkeypox is localized within West and Central African countries but this year has seen the first multi-country outbreak, including cases without known links to West or Central Africa, with more than 3,500 cases reported as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The virus can be transmitted between people by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets—such as via face-to-face contact—and contaminated materials. The current outbreak has introduced uncertainty about exactly how the virus is spreading, with far more transmission than is normal.

In the latest study, researchers discovered around 50 genetic variations in the viruses they studied compared to ones from 2018 and 2019. This, they said, "is far more than one would expect considering previous estimates" of the mutation rate of orthopoxviruses of which monkeypox is a type—between six and 12 times more.

These significant genetic variations might suggest "accelerated evolution."

"Our data reveals additional clues of ongoing viral evolution and potential human adaptation," the team wrote, adding that they had identified proteins that are known to interact with peoples' immune systems. However, more studies will be needed to find out more about the potential role these might play in adapting the monkeypox virus for human spread.

João Paulo Gomes, head of the Genomics & Bioinformatics Unit at the National Institute of Health in Portugal who co-authored the study, said it is not known whether the mutations have contributed to increased transmissibility between people.

"We do not know that," he told Newsweek. "We just know that these additional 50 mutations were quite unexpected.

"Considering that this 2022 monkeypox virus is likely a descendant of the one in the 2017 Nigeria outbreak, one would expect no more than five to 10 additional mutations instead of the observed about 50 mutations. We hope that now, specialized groups will perform laboratory experiments in order to understand if this 2022 virus has increased its transmissibility."