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Informed decisions about contact isolation require a better understanding of monkeypox (mpox) virus dynamics. Now, investigators report on mpox virus levels and clearance in a prospective cohort of 77 patients who self-collected specimens from multiple body sites throughout 2 months. All participants were immunocompetent, and none received systemic antiviral therapy. Patients with severe mpox requiring hospitalization were excluded. Virus levels were measured with quantitative PCR; viral culture was performed in a subset of samples.
The key findings were:
At baseline (day 0), median viral loads were highest in skin lesions, intermediate in rectal and oropharyngeal samples, and lower in semen and blood samples.
Rashes at the presumed site of in…