Monkeypox virus as a source of whitepox viruses

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Monkeypox virus (MPXV) can form distinct pocks on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM).
• Previous isolation of whitepox viruses from wildlife suggests variations within MPXV strains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clone and isolate distinct 'white' pock-forming variants of MPXV.
• To characterize the properties of these isolated clones and compare them to known whitepox viruses.

Main Methods:

• Cloning of MPXV to isolate 'white' pock variants on the CAM.
• Characterization of isolated clones for stability and phenotypic properties.
• Comparison of isolated clones with previously identified whitepox viruses.

Main Results:

• Stable 'white' clones of MPXV were successfully isolated from white pocks on the CAM.
• These clones exhibited properties consistent with previously identified whitepox viruses from African wildlife.
• Virus cultures in the process of cloning showed mixed populations with varying proportions of white pock and hemorrhagic pock-forming virions.

Conclusions:

• The cloning process yielded stable MPXV variants with characteristics similar to wildlife whitepox viruses.
• The overall properties of MPXV populations are influenced by the proportion of virions producing different pock types.