A case of monkeypox and literature review

Abstract

Objective To investigate the clinical manifestations, laboratory tests and diagnosis of monkeypox. Methods The clinical and laboratory data of a recently diagnosed monkeypox patient were analyzed, and the data of reported cases were reviewed. Results This case was a 43-year-old male patient with erythema and papules on the pubis and penis 2-3 days after fever. The rashes began with erythema, followed by pustules and ulcers. The patient had a previous history of syphilis. Dermatological examination revealed erythematous swollen pubic mound with pustules and crusts on the right side and a pustule with crust on both the foreskin and the corona of the glans penis. Monkeypox virus nucleic acid test was positive in the skin, blood and throat swab samples. The gene sequence was compared and analyzed using the Nextclade tool (reference genome NC_063383.1), and the results showed that the sequence was consistent with that of monkeypox virus clade II(West African clave), type B.1.3. Monkeypox virus infection was confirmed. Conclusions Monkeypox is an emerging infectious disease, which can be diagnosed according to exposure history, clinical manifestations and the results of nucleic acid test. The awareness of clinical manifestations of monkeypox should be improved to avoid the possible misdiagnosis.

Keywords

• monkeypox
• genital