ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2017
Characterization of Monkeypox virus infection in African rope squirrels (Funisciurus sp.).
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 131 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutics for treating mpox in humans.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- Mpox animal models: a comprehensive evaluation of susceptible species for pathogenesis studies and drug discovery.Emerging microbes & infections · 2026Review
- Monkeypox virus clade IIb isolate exhibits reduced virulence relative to clade IIa isolates in multiple murine models.Journal of virology · 2026Article
- Going wild: prioritizing experimental models of rodent-borne viruses to decode zoonotic spillover and pandemic risk.Journal of virology · 2026Review
- Baseline molecular surveillance of monkeypox virus in wildlife and exotic animals during the pre- and early-2022 outbreak in Thailand.Veterinary world · 2026Article
- Comparative virology and pathology of Monkeypox virus in Syrian hamsters, C57BL/6, and BALB/c mice: A framework for preclinical model selection.Animal models and experimental medicine · 2026Article
- Pathogenicity and transmissibility of Mpox virus in African dormice.Microbiology spectrum · 2026Article
- Cell death modulation dictates tissue-specific tropism of lumpy skin disease virus.PLoS pathogens · 2026Article
- Structure-based multi-pocket virtual screening identifies FDA-approved candidate compounds targeting MPXV thymidylate kinase.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026Article
- From skin lesions to multi-organ involvement: Organ tropism and pathogenesis of mpox virus.iScience · 2025Review
- Decoding the mechanophysiology for inhaled onset of smallpox with model-based implications for mpox spread.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Clinical manifestations and pathogenicity of Clade IIb monkeypox virus in rabbits.Emerging microbes & infections · 2025Article
- Mpox due to monkeypox virus clade Ia infection detected outside of Africa: a case study.Communications medicine · 2025Article
- Neurological complications of Orthopoxvirus infections: neurotropism and neurovirulence.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2025Review
- Transmissibility of Clade IIb Monkeypox Virus in Young Rabbits.Microorganisms · 2025Article
- Monkeypox virus spreads from cell-to-cell and leads to neuronal death in human neural organoids.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Global genomic surveillance of monkeypox virus.Nature medicine · 2025Article
- Genomic variability and immunological aspects involved in response to MPXV infection.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- 2024 Mpox outbreak: A rapidly evolving public health emergency of international concern: Introduction of an Updated Mpox Identify-Isolate-Inform (3I) Tool.One health (Amsterdam, Netherlands) · 2024Article
- Mpox Virus and its ocular surface manifestations.The ocular surface · 2024Review
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease endemic in Central and West Africa and is caused by Monkeypox virus (MPXV), the most virulent Orthopoxvirus affecting humans since the eradication of Variola virus (VARV). Many aspects of the MPXV transmission cycle, including the natural host of the virus, remain unknown. African rope squirrels (Funisciurus spp.) are considered potential reservoirs of MPXV, as serosurveillance data in Central Africa has confirmed the circulation of the virus in these rodent species [1,2]. In order to understand the tissue tropism and clinical signs associated with infection with MPXV in these species, wild-caught rope squirrels were experimentally infected via intranasal and intradermal exposure with a recombinant MPXV strain from Central Africa engineered to express the luciferase gene. After infection, we monitored viral replication and shedding via in vivo bioluminescent imaging, viral culture and real time PCR. MPXV infection in African rope squirrels caused mortality and moderate to severe morbidity, with clinical signs including pox lesions in the skin, eyes, mouth and nose, dyspnea, and profuse nasal discharge. Both intranasal and intradermal exposures induced high levels of viremia, fast systemic spread, and long periods of viral shedding. Shedding and luminescence peaked at day 6 post infection and was still detectable after 15 days. Interestingly, one sentinel animal, housed in the same room but in a separate cage, also developed severe MPX disease and was euthanized. This study indicates that MPXV causes significant pathology in African rope squirrels and infected rope squirrels shed large quantities of virus, supporting their role as a potential source of MPXV transmission to humans and other animals in endemic MPX regions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.