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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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In this Article

• Monkeypox facts
• What is monkeypox?
• What is the history of monkeypox?
• What causes monkeypox? How is monkeypox transmitted?
• What are risk factors for monkeypox?
• What are monkeypox symptoms and signs?
• How is monkeypox diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for monkeypox?
• What is the prognosis of monkeypox?
• Can monkeypox be prevented?
• Where can people get more information about monkeypox?
• What research is being done on monkeypox?
• Monkeypox Index

Additional information about monkeypox can be found at these web sites:

"Monkeypox," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

"Monkeypox," Medscape.com

"Updated Interim CDC Guidance for Use of Smallpox Vaccine, Cidofovir, and Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIG) for Prevention and Treatment in the Setting of an Outbreak of Monkeypox Infections," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Research is ongoing with monkeypox virus. For example, prairie dogs are being used as animal models to test the effectiveness of vaccinations. Several studies are using animal models to test the effectiveness of several antiviral drugs to reduce or eliminate symptoms in experimental infections. Because of the close relationship of smallpox to monkeypox, genetic comparison and genetic alteration studies are likely to be available in the future, along with more rapid detection tests.

REFERENCES:

Keckler, M., D. Carroll, N. Gallardo-Romero, et al. "Establishment of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Luudovicianus) as a Novel Animal Model for Comparing Smallpox Vaccines Administered Preexposure in Both High- and Low-Dose Monkeypox Virus Challenges." J. Virol 85.15 (2011): 7683-7698.

Reynolds, M., D. Carroll, V. Olson, et al. "A Silent Enzootic of an Orthopoxvirus in Ghana, West Africa: Evidence for Multi-Species Involvement in the Absence of Widespread Human Disease." Am J Trop Med Hyg 82.4 (2010): 746-754.