Mpox Clade IIb Virus Introduction into Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, July 2025
Clade I mpox virus (MPXV) is endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Recent studies have described the changing epidemiology of mpox in the country, which has been mainly characterized by the emergence of new MPXV lineages, Clade Ib/sh2023 and Ia/sh2024, associated with sustained human-to-human transmission. Both Clade Ib/sh2023 and Ia/sh2024 are co-circulating in Kinshasa, the capital city of the DRC. Here, we report the first two cases of Clade IIb/sh2017 identified in Kinshasa, DRC, imported from West Africa and locally transmitted. Clinical specimens were collected and tested by PCR. We performed whole genome sequencing using a tiled-amplicon sequencing approach with Clade IIb MPXV-specific primers. The phylogenetic tree shows that Kinshasa Clade IIb MPXV is assigned to Clade IIb/sh2017 within the newly designated lineage G.1, as identified in January 2025 in Sierra-Leone.
Authors
- Dieudonné Mwamba
- Steve Ahuka Mundeke
- Jeanine Nkakulu
- Olga Ntumba-Tshitenge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9942-1758)
- Mory Keïta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6304-9288)
- Pierre Akilimali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3828-6214)
- Jason Kindrachuk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3305-7084)
- M. Peeters
- Christian Ngandu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9313-606X)
- Koen Vercauteren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1472-9938)
- Anne W. Rimoin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0662-9067)
- Sofonias Kifle Tessema (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1825-204X)
- Nicole A. Hoff (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1770-6304)
- Nadège K. Ngombe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2859-7238)
- Emmanuel Lokilo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7581-9801)
- Placide Mbala‐Kingebeni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1556-3570)
- Raphaël Lumembe-Numbi
- Laurens Liesenborghs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5616-8548)
- Ngashi Ngongo
- Tony Wawina-Bokalanga (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6659-0267)
- Andrew Rambaut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4337-3707)
- Gradi Luakanda-Ndelemo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0406-2361)
- Cris Kacita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0227-7609)
- Pauline-Chloé Muswamba-Kayembe
- Princesse Paku-Tshambu
- Fiston Cikaya-Kankolongo
- Yap Boum
- Sikoti Josaphat
- Jérémie Kundey-Mafu
- Jacques Santini-Mafuta
- Israel Cinkobu-Bualukengu
- Adelar Lofungola
- Judith Tete-Sitra
- Adrienne Amuri-Aziza
- Eddy Kinganda-Lusamaki
- Elzedek Mabika-Bope
- Daan Jansen
- Samy Tessi-Mvutukulu
- Prince Akil-Bandali
- Lorenzo Subissi
- Jean-Claude Makangara-Cigolo
- Nick Loman
- Áine O’Toole
Institutions
- University of Bern (CH)
- World Health Organization - Pakistan (PK)
- Ministry of Public Health (CD)
- Bern University of Applied Sciences (CH)
- Inserm (FR)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Kinshasa General Hospital (CD)
- University of Kinshasa (CD)
- Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (ET)
- World Health Organization (CH)
- National Institute of Biomedical Research (CD)
- Institut National de Santé Publique (CI)
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (CG)
- Institut National de Santé Publique (TN)
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR)
- University of Manitoba (CA)
- Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde (BE)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- University of the Western Cape (ZA)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- KU Leuven (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Viruses
- Published
- 2026-01-08
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/v18010087
- Primary Topic
- Poxvirus research and outbreaks
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Vlaamse regering