The Pasteur Network Mobilized Against the Mpox Outbreak 

On August 13 and 14, 2024, the Africa CDC and the WHO declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).  

As part of its ongoing commitment to science, innovation and global public health, the Pasteur Network, renowned for its expertise in infectious diseases and its extensive geographic reach, spanning 25 countries across 5 continents, is stepping up its efforts to combat the ongoing Mpox outbreak.  

Leveraging this global alliance of over 30 institutes, our multidisciplinary teams are at the forefront of research and response efforts to address this public health challenge, working tirelessly to enhance surveillance, improve diagnostics, and support the development of equitable access to treatments. 

Among Pasteur Network members, several institutes have developed expertise in Mpox surveillance, diagnosis and research during previous epidemics in the region. 

MPXV-infected human cells (green) among uninfected cells (blue nuclei). Confocal microscope image. Copyright : Institut Pasteur/Mathieu Hubert et Olivier Schwartz

Members of the Pasteur Network are are developping actions in many fields:

Surveillance and Diagnostics

  • Contribute to surveillances, particularly in high-transmission regions through diagnostic capabilities and training. 

Research and Development: 

  • Leveraging extensive expertise in virology for the detection and comprehension of transmission dynamics and supporting the development of medical countermeasures  

Collaboration 

  • Support equitable access to solutions targeting high-risk populations coordinating with local health authorities as expressed in the Rio Declaration signed by the Pasteur Network  
  • Partnering with global health organizations to support translating research to policy and  real-world solutions. 

As the world faces new challenges, the Pasteur Network remains dedicated to scientific excellence and collaboration, ensuring that we can address emerging threats with agility and effectiveness. 

Following the recent outbreak of monkeypox, researchers from the Pasteur Network and ANRS | Emerging Infectious Diseases have published a complete portrait of the disease in the New England Journal of Medicine. This is an opportunity to review the signs of the disease, its origin, and also the projects undertaken by the Pasteur Network, such as AFRIPOX, supported by the Institut Pasteur and in collaboration with the Institut Pasteur de Bangui.

All information on this publication can be found in the dedicated article on the Institut Pasteur website.

For more information:
Article from the Institut Pasteur: Monkeypox: a detailed profile of the disease
Review article: Monkeypox
New England Journal of Medicine, 26 octobre 2022.
Antoine Gessain, M.D., Emmanuel Nakoune, Ph.D., and Yazdan Yazdanpanah, M.D.
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra2208860

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a neglected tropical pathogen whose recent emergence has accelerated its study. In this context, Pasteur Network researchers have developed rapid MPXV diagnostic tests that can be viewed by the naked eye in less than 30 minutes, and are as consistent as the current PCR-based nucleic acid test used for MPXV diagnostics. This new diagnostic tool will contribute to the control and prevention of MPXV epidemics.

In May 2022, outbreaks of monkeypox virus (MPXV) were reported simultaneously in Europe, North America and South America, outside the virus-endemic regions of Africa. Pasteur Network researchers collaborated to develop and validate tests for the rapid detection of MPXV. These newly designed tests can produce reliable fluorescence or lateral flow results on a strip in 20 to 30 minutes. Led by the teams of Emmanuel Nakouné (Institut Pasteur de Bangui) and Nicolas Berthet and Gary Wong (Institut Pasteur de Shanghai), the study presenting the results of these rapid diagnostic tests was published in the journal Viruses.

The tests are based on isothermal amplification of a targeted region of the virus genome, and are based on recombinase with or without CRISPR/Cas12. The tests gave consistent results with the reference molecular test, PCR in real time, for the 19 clinical samples used to validate the assay. In addition, the tests were specific and did not cross-react with other pox viruses, such as vaccinia.

MPXV, a neglected tropical pathogen, is closely related to smallpox, a disease that has been eradicated in humans since the 1980s. Although MPXV epidemics are regularly reported in Africa among the poorest communities, it remains understudied, even after the first MPXV epidemic was reported outside the endemic areain the USA during 2003. Rapid, sensitive and specific detection of MPXV is essential to inform health authorities of suspected cases as soon as possible, in order to monitor epidemic developments. These results therefore provide a point-of-care platform for the early diagnosis of potential MPXV cases, and will contribute to the prevention and control of current and future MPXV epidemics.

For more information:
Article from the Institut Pasteur de Bangui (in French)
Development and Characterization of Recombinase-Based Iso-thermal Amplification Assays (RPA/RAA) for the Rapid Detection of Monkeypox virus
Viruses, September 2022.
Lingjing Mao, Jiaxu Ying, Benjamin Selekon, Ella Gonofio, Xiaoxia Wang, Emmanuel Nakoune, Gary Wong*, Nicolas Berthet*
* Corresponding authors.
https://doi.org/10.3390/v14102112.