High genetic diversity of mpox virus (MPXV) in three different rodent species in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

  1. Meris Matondo Kuamfumu
  2. Pascal Baelo
  3. Audrey Lacroix
  4. Grace Odia Kadima
  5. Simon-Pierre Ndimbo Kumugo
  6. Eddy Kinganda Lusamaki
  7. Antoine Nkuba Ndaye
  8. Jill-Lea Ramassamy
  9. Tine Cooreman
  10. Mare Geraerts
  11. Adrienne Amuri-Aziza
  12. Prince Akil
  13. Fiston Cikaya
  14. Nicolas Laurent
  15. Rianne Van Vredendaal
  16. Lea Fourchault
  17. Lea Joffrin
  18. Anne Laudisoit
  19. Laurens Liesenborghs
  20. Koen Vercauteren
  21. Kevin Arien
  22. Tessa de Block
  23. Daan Jansen
  24. Cassimir Nebesse
  25. Steve Ngoy
  26. Claude Mande
  27. Ahidjo Ayouba
  28. Eric Delaporte
  29. Prince Kaleme
  30. Luis Flores-Giron
  31. Almudena Mari Saez
  32. Herwig Leirs
  33. Sophie Gryseels
  34. Placide Mbala Kingebeni
  35. Erik Verheyen
  36. Guy-Crispin Gembu
  37. Joachim Marien
  38. Martine Peeters
  39. Steve Ahuka Mundeke
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Abstract

Altough zoonotic spillover events continue to drive human mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the wildlife reservoir of mpox virus (MPXV) remains unkown. To address this gap, we screened samples from 2,701 wild mammals, mainly rodents (59.7%), bats (26.4%) and shrews (12.1%). Only six (0.2%) animals were Orthopoxvirus (OPV) PCR positive. Near full-length MPXV sequences were obtained from two squirrels (Funisciurus anerythrus and Paraxerus sp.) and one soft furred mouse (Praomys jacksoni). A novel Taterapox virus was identified in a shrew (Crocidura cf. denti). All newly identified MPXV strains belong to clade Ia, but they cluster into different groups or subgroups, despite being collected from geographically close locations, and all are closely related to human MPXV strains from the same regions. Our study provides for the first time clear evidence that MPXV diversity is not restricted to a single rodent host species nor confined to a geographic area. Importantly, MPXV positive Paraxerus and Praomys specimens were sampled close to Kisangani, a city with more than one million habitants, highlighting that spillover events can also occur in or near major cities, with more favorable conditions for interhuman transmissions and potential emergence of new lineages.

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