New symptoms of monkeypox found among current outbreaks: rectal and sore throat, swollen penis

A new study, published in

, has identified important differences in

symptoms between the current outbreak and previous outbreaks in endemic regions, something researchers hope the results

. .

The findings are based on 197 cases of

confirmed at an infectious disease center in

, UK, between May and July 2022. Some of the common symptoms they describe, such as

and

(edema ), differ from those described in previous outbreaks.

Therefore, the researchers recommend that clinicians consider the possibility of

infection in patients with these symptoms.

infection

with extensive penile lesions or severe rectal pain "should be considered for continued review or treatment in hospital."

The 197 participants in this study were men (mean age 38 years), of whom 196 identified as homosexual, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men.

All patients had

or

, most often

or perianal area.

The majority (86%) of patients reported

(affecting the entire body).

The most common systemic symptoms were fever (62%), swollen lymph nodes (58%), and muscle aches (32%).

And in contrast to existing case reports suggesting that systemic symptoms precede skin lesions, 38% of patients developed systemic symptoms after the appearance of mucocutaneous lesions, while 14% presented lesions without systemic features.

A total of

,

and

, while 27 had oral lesions, 22 had a solitary lesion, and 9 had swollen tonsils.

The authors note that solitary lesions and

were not previously known to be typical features of monkeypox infection, and could be confused with other conditions.

Just over a third (36%) of the participants also had an HIV infection and 32% of those tested for sexually transmitted infections had a sexually transmitted infection.

In total, 20 (10%) of the participants were admitted to hospital for treatment of symptoms, mostly rectal pain and penile swelling.

However, no deaths were recorded and

.

Only one participant had recently traveled to an endemic region, confirming ongoing transmission within the UK, and only a quarter of patients had known contact with someone with confirmed

infection , raising the possibility of transmission by people with no or very few symptoms.

The authors acknowledge some limitations, such as the observational nature of the results, the possible variability of clinical registries, and the fact that

.

However, they state that these findings confirm the current unprecedented community transmission of

virus among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men that is seen in the UK and many other non-endemic countries.

"Understanding these findings will have important implications for contact tracing, public health advice, and ongoing isolation and infection control measures," the researchers stress, calling for further study to inform policy. control and isolation of infection and guide the development of new diagnoses, treatments and preventive measures.

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