Phylogenetic analyses of the spread of Clade I MPOX in African and non-African nations.

Abstract

Recently, mpox has spread in some parts of Africa, such as Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya, worsening the situation in DRC and Burundi compared to the other parts of Africa due to the spread of the Clade Ib, with several confirmed and lethal cases. The study aims to analyze the broader molecular phylogenetics using greater complete genome sequences and molecular phylogenetics of Clade I (Clade Ia and Clade Ib), nucleotide diversity of the genome of Clade I, NGA/TCN context of G- > A/C- > T mutations, and epidemiology of the recent spread of mpox in the African countries. Overall molecular phylogenetics of mpox inform the divergence was noted between 0.00220 and 0.00265 and found Clade IIb has further subdivided into 37 sublineages. From our phylogenetic analysis and the tracking of recent mpox variants, we report the spread of Clade I (Clade Ib) of mpox, a virulent mpox, in the African continent, Thailand, Sweden, and USA. Furthermore, two Clades, Clade Ia and Clade Ib, have originated from Clade I. Recently, Clade Ib has expanded its region within African continent. We reported the mutation pattern in the genome. Epidemiological analysis indicates the most affected country is the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This work shows that mpox is steadily adapting as geographic area increases and can help the health authorities develop policies such as vaccinations, and travel restrictions to contain the spread of mpox.