Christina Frederick, University of Manitoba

Christina Frederick1, Patrick Mukadi2, Augustin Twabela3,4, Justin Masumu2,3,4, Laurens, Liesenborghs5,6, Sydney Merritt7, Nicole Hoff7, Megan Halbrook7, Ryan Harrigan7, Placide Mbala-Kingebeni2, Anne W. Rimoin7, Jason Kindrachuk1 - 1University of Manitoba, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (MMID), Winnipeg, Canada. 2Institut National de Recherche Biomedical (INRB), Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 3Faculté de Médecine Vétérinaire, Université Pédagogique Nationale, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 4Central Veterinary Laboratory of Kinshasa, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. 5Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. 6Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 7Department of Epidemiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America.

Fighting & Responding

Although the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) has ended, Mpox virus (MPXV), a member of the Orthopoxvirus (OPXV) genus, remains a persistent zoonotic threat in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where wildlife reservoirs and sustained human-to-human transmission continue. Understanding viral circulation, evolution, and ecological drivers in endemic regions is essential to inform long-term control and global preparedness efforts. We combined wildlife surveillance and human serology to improve detection of MPXV circulation and cumulative exposure. Bushmeat specimens were collected across multiple provinces and screened by qPCR for MPXV. PCR-positive samples underwent sequencing to assess clades and viral characterization. Additionally, human serum samples were analyzed using the Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) Orthopoxvirus multiplex assay to quantify IgG responses against paired MPXV and Vaccinia virus antigens. Given the high antigenic similarity among Orthopoxviruses, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses established antigen-specific serologic cut-offs to improve discrimination between infection and vaccine associated exposures. Integrating molecular findings from animal reservoirs with human serologic profiles and spatial data provides a more comprehensive assessment of MPXV transmission dynamics. This study supports sustained MPXV surveillance across animal and human interfaces in the DRC. It provides insights into zoonotic reservoirs, viral evolution, and transmission dynamics in under-resourced settings. These findings highlight the role of ecological disruption, infrastructure gaps, and human mobility in outbreak dynamics. This data will inform surveillance strategies, and intervention design for future Mpox and other zoonotic threats.