A compilation answering 50 questions on monkeypox virus and the current monkeypox outbreak.

The current monkeypox disease (MPX) outbreak constitutes a new threat and challenge for our society. With more than 55,000 confirmed cases in 103 countries, World Health Organization declared the ongoing MPX outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on July 23, 2022. The current MPX outbreak is the largest, most widespread, and most serious since the diagnosis of the first case of MPX in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a country where MPX is an endemic disease. Throughout history, there have only been sporadic and self-limiting outbreaks of MPX outside Africa, with a total of 58 cases described from 2003 to 2021. This figure contrasts with the current outbreak of 2022, in which more than 55,000 cases have been confirmed in just 4 months. MPX is, in most cases, self-limiting; however, severe clinical manifestations and complications have been reported. Complications are usually related to the extent of virus exposure and patient health status, generally affecting children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised patients. The expansive nature of the current outbreak leaves many questions that the scientific community should investigate and answer in order to understand this phenomenon better and prevent new threats in the future. In this review, 50 questions regarding monkeypox virus (MPXV) and the current MPX outbreak were answered in order to provide the most updated scientific information and to explore the potential causes and consequences of this new health threat.

Molecular epidemiological and antibiotic susceptibility characterization of Brucella isolates from humans in Sicily, Italy.

Brucellosis is a serious problem in Sicily. Brucella melitensis was identified as the species most frequently isolated in humans in Italy. No data, however, are available about the molecular epidemiological characterization of Brucella isolates from humans. We have conducted this study to molecularly characterize clinical isolates of Brucella spp. and to evaluate their antimicrobial susceptibilities. Twenty Brucella isolates were studied. Differential growth characteristics and DNA polymorphisms such as the restriction patterns of the PCR-amplified omp2a and omp2b genes, rpoB nucleotide sequencing, and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of 16 loci (MLVA-16) were used to characterize the strains. In vitro antibiotic susceptibility was determined by the E-test method on two different agar media, and the results were compared. All isolates were identified as B. melitensis biovar 3. rpoB nucleotide sequence analysis allowed the identification of two different genotypes of B. melitensis biovar 3. On the other hand, the MLVA-16 typing assay recognized 17 distinct genotypes. All isolates were sensitive to all tested antibiotics (rifampin, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole), and the Mueller-Hinton agar plate is recommended for antibiotic susceptibility testing by the E-test method. Our findings identify B. melitensis biovar 3 as the etiological agent isolated in Sicily and encourage the use of both molecular methods, and in particular of the MLVA-16 assay, in epidemiological trace-back analysis. This study represents the first epidemiological data from molecular typing of Brucella strains circulating in Italy and, in particular, in eastern Sicily.