Scientists called fiery -legged proteins living in Africa, likely distributors of monkey smallpox

Scientists called the source of the spread of the virus causing the monkey OSPU (MPXV), fiery -legged Protein (Funisciurus pyrropus), living in Central and West Africa. The Prepint of a study conducted by the International Group of Scientists from the Unified Health Institute in German Graifswald and other research centers was published on April 8 at Research Square.

Scientists have studied the outbreak of monkey smallpox, which in 2023 struck the population of smoky mangabeev (monkeys of the Martyshkov family) in the Tai National Park in the Cot-D'Ivoire. When studying the carcass of fiery proteins, found 3 km from the place where the Mangabei live, 12 weeks before the outbreak, it turned out that the rodent was infected with the virus. At the same time, the genome of the virus at the squirrel and mangabeev was identical. Having studied the diet of monkeys, the researchers found that they eat fiery -legged protein.

Further, scientists studied the feces of Mangabeev, collected 4 months before the flash, and found in several samples of DNA of fiery protein. One of these samples also gave the first in the group a positive result when testing monkey smallpox in the virus.

“This is an extremely rare case of direct detection of interspecific transmission [virus] ... Our results convincingly indicate that the MPXV flash in the mangabes had proteins. Since proteins and non -human primates are objects of hunting, trade, and are also eaten by people in Western and Central Africa, contact with these animals is probably the cause of at least part of the outbreaks of monkey smallpox in people, ”the study says.

The name "Monkey of the Ospa" is explained by the fact that the virus causing the disease was first discovered in laboratory monkeys in 1958. Nevertheless, as Nature writes , scientists have long suspected that rodents or other small mammals in Africa are reservoir owners (that is, animals that carry the virus but do not get sick). Studies published last year showed that the recent outbreaks of the Ospes monkey in Africa were caused by several cases of the transfer of the virus from animals to man.

Last year, cases of Ospa Monkeys were registered in 13 countries of the world. 96% of all cases occurred on DR Congo. As of August, more than 14 thousand people fell ill in this country, 524 patients died.