REVIEW article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1624110
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancements and Challenges in Mpox ResearchView all articles
Mpox Virus: Virology, Molecular Epidemiology, and Global Public Health Challenges
Provisionally accepted
Junkai ChenSiwei ChenJu HuangFengqi LiuShuqi WangNa WangMing LiZiyi Zhang
Congcong HuangWeixing Du*
Long Liu*
Zhixin LIU*- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
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Monkeypox (Mpox), a zoonotic disease caused by the Mpox virus (MPXV), has re-emerged as a significant global health concern, particularly since the 2022 outbreaks in non-endemic countries. MPXV shares close virological and genetic similarities with other Orthopoxviruses, notably Variola virus. The current circulating strains, primarily of Clade IIb, exhibit enhanced human-tohuman transmissibility. This review synthesizes recent advances in MPXV virology, pathogenesis, molecular evolution, clinical features, and diagnostic techniques. In addition, we highlight the mounting public health challenges, including vaccine inequity, immunity gaps in the post-smallpox era, surveillance limitations, healthcare system vulnerabilities, and stigma-related barriers to disease reporting and control. Addressing these multifaceted issues requires a globally coordinated response integrating equitable vaccine access, strengthened surveillance, stigma-free health education, and harmonized outbreak response strategies. A comprehensive understanding of these factors is critical to preventing future large-scale outbreaks and mitigating the global health burden posed by MPXV.
Keywords: Mpox virus (MPXV), Orthopoxvirus, Molecular Epidemiology, human-to-human transmission, Public health challenges, Vaccine equity, Global health policy, Surveillance Gaps
Received: 07 May 2025; Accepted: 07 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Chen, Chen, Huang, Liu, Wang, Wang, Li, Zhang, Huang, Du, Liu and LIU. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Weixing Du, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
Long Liu, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
Zhixin LIU, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Hubei University of Medicine, Shiyan, China
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