No Evidence of Monkeypox Virus DNA in Spleen Samples of House mice and Wild Rodents Consumed as Bush Meat in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV). There is a resurgence of MPX cases in Nigeria. In this study, we examined the spleen of house mice and wild rodents used for barbequed meat, in Benue state, for the presence of MPXV DNA. 103 rodents were captured. DNA was extracted from the harvested spleen samples, followed by end point polymerase reaction (PCR) of Orthopoxvirus (OPXV) DNA-dependent RNA polymerase subunit 18 gene (rpo18). OPXV DNA was not detected from the spleen of all the rodents sampled, but OPXV DNA was detected from cowpox virus DNA that served as the positive control. MPXV DNA was not detected in the house mice and wild rodents, suggesting the absence of active MPXV infection at the time of sampling. The negative result may also be due to low sensitivity of endpoint PCR compared to RT-qPCR, limitation of one-time sampling and the assay of only one genetic marker for PCR.