[Monkeypox and exudative pharyngitis in Argentina]

Since May 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported in non-endemic countries with different characteristics from the traditional description of the disease, predominantly in men who have sex with men, with possible sexual transmission and with no documentation of mortality to date. We report what would be the first patient diagnosed in Argentina with no travel nexus to countries with viral circulation. Young, bisexual man, on antiretroviral HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis, whose presentation was exudative pharyngitis with no other documented aetiology and lymphadenopathy that progressed to necrosis, presence of characteristic asynchronous lesions on the face, neck, abdomen, extremities, and genitals, in a total of no more than 25. Polymerase-chain-reaction assay of samples from skin lesions, fauces exudate and semen were positive for monkeypox. Pharyngeal involvement with the presence of exudate after ruling out other infections could be a rarity for the epidemic form of the disease. The finding of the virus in semen, already reported in other publications, is still not enough to confirm the sexual route as a form of transmission. In conclusion: Our case warns about other possible forms of presentation of epidemic monkeypox and the need to increase the level of suspicion for its early detection as a strategy to prevent dissemination and protect vulnerable groups. Even more information is required to determine the sexual transmission of this disease.