Emergence of monkeypox virus in central Argentina: Epidemiological features and first complete genome sequences in the country

•MPXV infection was confirmed in 46.0% of the studied patients, all of them were men.•Varicella-zoster virus infection was the most frequent differential diagnosis.•Complete genomes were obtained by a high throughput shotgun metagenomics strategy.•The Argentinian sequences were related to sequences from the USA, Europe, and Peru. Monkeypox (Mpox) is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). MPXV can be transmitted by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials. A new pattern of spread among sexual networks has been recently described. The present work aimed to report the epidemiological and genomic characterization of the 2022 MPXV outbreak in central Argentina. A total of 113 scabs and/or lesion swab specimens were studied. MPXV infection was confirmed in 46.0% of the studied patients, all of whom were men. Varicella-zoster virus infection was the most frequent differential diagnosis. Eight complete viral genomes were obtained by next-generation sequencing. The Argentinian sequences were grouped intermingled with other sequences from the 2022 MPXV outbreak, related to samples from the USA, Europe, and Peru. Taken together, our study provided an initial assessment of the genetic and epidemiological characteristics of the 2022 MPXV outbreak in Córdoba, Argentina. La viruela del mono es una enfermedad zoonótica causada por el virus de la viruela del mono (MPXV). El MPXV puede transmitirse por contacto con lesiones, fluidos corporales, gotitas respiratorias y materiales contaminados. Recientemente, se ha descrito un nuevo patrón sexual de transmisión. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo caracterizar epidemiológica y molecularmente el brote de MPXV de 2022 en la región central de Argentina. Se estudiaron 113 muestras de costras y/o hisopados de lesiones. La infección por MPXV se confirmó en el 46,0% de los casos, todos ellos hombres. La infección por el virus varicela-zoster fue el diagnóstico diferencial más frecuente. Se obtuvieron ocho genomas completos mediante la secuenciación de última generación. Las secuencias argentinas se agruparon entremezcladas con otras secuencias del brote de MPXV de 2022, relacionadas con las de EE. UU., Europa y Perú. Nuestro estudio proporcionó información sobre las características del brote de MPXV de 2022 en Córdoba, Argentina.