Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35809857›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases2022

Enhanced surveillance of monkeypox in Bas-Uélé, Democratic Republic of Congo: the limitations of symptom-based case definitions.

Gaspard Mande, Innocent Akonda, Anja De Weggheleire, Isabel Brosius, Laurens Liesenborghs, Emmanuel Bottieau, Noam Ross, Guy-Crispin Gembu, Robert Colebunders, Erik Verheyen and 3 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of infectious diseases : IJID : official publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
30citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

30 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 38 citations in OpenAlex.

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  11. Clinical characteristics of suspected cases of human mpox (monkeypox) in Katako-Kombe, Democratic Republic of the Congo 2023: challenges and key responses.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.

Gaspard MandeUniversity of Kisangani, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, BP 2012, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. Electronic address: gaspard.mande@unikis.ac.cd.
Innocent AkondaMinistry of Health, Buta, Democratic Republic of Congo. Electronic address: boseluc@gmail.com.
Anja De WeggheleireOutbreak research team, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: Adeweggheleire@ext.itg.be.
Isabel BrosiusOutbreak research team, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: ibrosius@itg.be.
Laurens LiesenborghsOutbreak research team, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: lliesenborghs@itg.be.
Emmanuel BottieauOutbreak research team, Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nationalestraat 155, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium. Electronic address: EBottieau@itg.be.
Noam RossEcohealth Alliance, 520 8(th) Avenue, 10018 New York, NY, United States of America. Electronic address: ross@ecohealthalliance.org.
Guy-Crispin GembuUniversity of Kisangani, Faculty of Science and Center for Biodiversity Monitoring, BP2012, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. Electronic address: guycrispin.gembu@unikis.ac.cd.
Robert ColebundersGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Campus drie Eiken, Gouverneur Kinsbergen Centrum, Doornstraat 331, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium. Electronic address: robert.colebunders@uantwerpen.be.
Erik VerheyenRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Rue Vautier 29, 1000 Brussels, Belgium; Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken. Electronic address: erik.verheyen@uantwerpen.be.
Dauly NgondaUniversity of Kisangani, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, BP 2012, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. Electronic address: dauly_ngbonda@yahoo.com.
Herwig LeirsEvolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken. Electronic address: herwig.leirs@uantwerpen.be.
Anne LaudisoitEcohealth Alliance, 520 8(th) Avenue, 10018 New York, NY, United States of America; Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken. Electronic address: laudisoit@ecohealthalliance.org.
Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde · BEUniversity of Antwerp · BEUniversité de Kisangani · CDEcoHealth Alliance · USMinistry of Public Health · CD

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFollowing an outbreak of cases of vesicular-pustular rash with fever, evocative of human monkeypox, in Bas-Uélé province, Democratic Republic of Congo, surveillance was strengthened.

methodsHouseholds with at least one active generalized vesicular-pustular rash case were visited, and contact and clinical history information were collected from all household members. Whenever possible, skin lesions were screened by polymerase chain reaction for the monkeypox virus, followed by the varicella-zoster virus, when negative for the former.

resultsPolymerase chain reaction results were obtained for 77 suspected cases, distributed in 138 households, of which 27.3% were positive for monkeypox, 58.4% positive for chickenpox, and 14.3% negative for both. Confirmed monkeypox cases presented more often with monomorphic skin lesions on the palms of the hands and on the soles of the feet. Integrating these three features into the case definition raised the specificity to 85% but would miss 50% of true monkeypox cases. A predictive model fit on patient demographics and symptoms had 97% specificity and 80% sensitivity but only 80% and 33% in predicting out-of-sample cases.

conclusionFew discriminating features were identified and the performance of clinical case definitions was suboptimal. Rapid field diagnostics are needed to optimize worldwide early detection and surveillance of monkeypox.

Indexed as

ChickenpoxExanthemaMpox, MonkeypoxDemocratic Republic of the CongoHumansMonkeypox virusChickenpoxDemocratic Republic of CongoDiagnosticMonkeypoxOrthopoxvirus

Identifiers

PMID35809857
PMCPMC9628793
OpenAlexW4284880952

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.