Monkeypox is an emerging zoonotic disease and a potential biological weapon.
It is caused by enveloped, complex, double-stranded DNA Orthopoxvirus
(Poxviridae), closely related to smallpox virus. Since 1958 monkeypox has
been reported in people in several central and western African countries, USA
and Europe. Transmission of monkeypox virus (MPV), occurs when a person
comes into close contact with skin lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets
from infected animal or human, or with contaminated fomites. Monkeypox
is a communicable disease in nonhuman primates, wild rodents and prairie
dogs. Clinical symptoms in prairie dogs and hon-human primates include
cough, history of fever, conjunctivitis, lack of appetite, respiratory signs and
rash. In humans, the disease begins with fever, headache, muscle aches, and
exhaustion. The patient develops a rash progressing to macules, papules,
vesicles, pustules and scabs, often resembling chickenpox. In monkeypox
human cases lymphadenopathy is prominent distinguishing this disease from
smallpox, already eradicated worldwide. In the African epidemics, 90% of the
patients were children below 15 years of age. Monkeypox can be diagnosed
with molecular methods (RT-PCR, pan-orthopox PCR), immunohistochemistry,
isolation of MPV in cell culture, ELISA and or electron microscopy. To treat
patients and to control monkeypox outbreak, the smallpox vaccine, antivirals
drugs, and vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) can be used. Monkeypox is a disease
of global public health importance and in this article major issues related to
this emerging zoonosis are presented.