Co-circulation of vaccinia and monkeypox viruses in rural areas of Brazil: Importance of differential molecular diagnosis

Infection causes fever, lymphadenopathy, and pustular lesions similar to those generated by Mpox on the hands and arms of milkers and on the teats and udders of dairy cows and buffaloes. Since 1999, our group and others have detected the circulation of the VACV strain Cantagalo (CTGV) in several states of Brazil, including regions with intense agricultural activity in the Midwest region of Brazil [3–5]. Since July 2022, Goiás has notified 563 cases of Mpox in different cities, some in rural municipalities such as Uruana (Fig. 1A). [...]our work shows that the VACV strain Cantagalo co-circulates with MPXV in the state of Goiás, which may occur in other rural regions of Brazil, as CTGV has been detected in several states where positive cases of Mpox have been reported.