Brazil scientists finish genetic sequencing of monkeypox virus

Brazil’s research foundation Fiocruz reported it has completed the genetic sequencing of the monkeypox virus (MPXV). The sample was collected from a patient at the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases, in Rio de Janeiro.

In a press release, the institution states it is a virus derived from clade B.1, the most common today.

The foundation’s Geomics Network is said to have carried out a metagenomic analysis through technology termed Illumina.

“The technique provides a detailed reading of the pathogen’s DNA, thus contributing to a better understanding of the current outbreak, which currently exceeds 4.7 thousand cases worldwide, according to data gathered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the US,” the note reads.