Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41651909›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Targeted metagenomics reveals hidden chickenpox epidemic amid Mpox surveillance in Uganda.

Stephen Kanyerezi, Alisen Ayitewala, Jupiter Marina Kabahita, Hellen Rosette Oundo, Julius Sseruyange, Wilson Tenywa, Godwin Tusabe, Stacy Were, Moses Murungi, Martha Nabukyu and 19 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

29 authors.

Stephen KanyereziDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Alisen AyitewalaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Jupiter Marina KabahitaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Hellen Rosette OundoDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Julius SseruyangeDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Wilson TenywaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Godwin TusabeDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Stacy WereDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Moses MurungiDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Martha NabukyuDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Valeria NakintuDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Caroline MakohaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Ivan SserwaddaThe African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, the Infectious Diseases Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O Box 22418, Kampala, Uganda.
Harris OnyweraAfrica Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Collins TanuiAfrica Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Ibrahim MugerwaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Atek KagiritaNational Public Health Emergency Operations Center-PEOC, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.
Benard LubwamaNational Public Health Emergency Operations Center-PEOC, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.
Eilu Roggers MichaelDepartment of Global Health Security, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
David Patrick KateeteDepartment of Immunology and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O Box 7072, Kampala, Uganda.
Morgan OtitaDepartment of Global Health Security, Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Samuel GidudduUganda National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Kampala, Uganda.
Daudi JjingoThe African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, the Infectious Diseases Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O Box 22418, Kampala, Uganda.
Andrew NsawotebbaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Gerald MboowaThe African Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Data-Intensive Sciences, the Infectious Diseases Institute, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, P.O Box 22418, Kampala, Uganda.
Aloysious SsemagandaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Susan NabaddaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda.
Sofonias K TessemaAfrica Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Isaac SsewanyanaDepartment of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostics Services, Central Public Health Laboratories (NHLDS-CPHL), Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda. sewyisaac@yahoo.co.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In regions where both monkeypox virus (MPXV) and varicella zoster virus (VZV) are co-circulating, overlapping clinical manifestations can complicate clinical diagnosis. During the MPXV outbreak declared in Uganda in July, 2024, symptomatic suspected cases tested PCR negative for Mpox. To determine the cause of symptoms, we employed metagenomic sequencing with a targeted Viral Surveillance panel in 284 MPXV negative samples. VZV was identified as the predominant pathogen in 86% of MPXV-negative cases, suggesting a concurrent chickenpox surge. Using the VaricellaGen pipeline for variant calling, clade typing, and phylogeny, 118 (49%) samples that achieved ≥ 70% genome coverage were of clade 5 based on the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset. This data confirms co-circulation of VZV during the MPXV outbreak in Uganda. Our results underscore the need for laboratory confirmation of MPXV and the inclusion of VZV in the testing algorithm during the Mpox outbreak.

Indexed as

ChickenpoxHerpesvirus 3, HumanMetagenomicsMpox, MonkeypoxDisease OutbreaksEpidemicsGenome, ViralHumansPhylogenyPolymorphism, Single NucleotideUgandaClade 5Metagenomic sequencingMisdiagnosisMpoxUgandaVaricellaGenVaricella zoster virus (VZV)

Identifiers

PMID41651909
PMCPMC12936210

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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.