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Review
. 2023 Apr 6;160(7):305-309.
doi: 10.1016/j.medcle.2023.01.005. Epub 2023 Mar 24.

Vaccines against monkeypox

Jordi Reina  1 , Carla Iglesias  1
Affiliations
Review

Vaccines against monkeypox

Jordi Reina et al. Med Clin (Engl Ed). .

Abstract
in English, Spanish

The monkeypox virus is a virus that has 90% genomic homology with the human (smallpox), but it is naturally transmitted between different wild animal reservoirs and is considered a zoonosis. Throughout the 20th century, different vaccines based on the vaccinia poxvirus were developed and used for vaccination against smallpox. After the eradication of smallpox, these vaccines were no longer used. Current vaccines against monkeypox virus are classified by the WHO as replicative (ACAM2000), minimally replicative (LC16m8) and non-replicative (MVA-BN), the latter being the one currently used. The 2022 extra-African monkeypox virus epidemic has highlighted the lack of vaccines with proven efficacy and low reactogenicity. It is considered that the use of this vaccine in the current outbreak may play a role in the prevention or attenuation of the disease as pre-exposure prophylaxis in close contacts of confirmed cases.

El virus de la viruela de los monos es un virus que presenta un 90% de homología genómica con el humano (smallpox), pero se trasmite de forma natural entre diferentes reservorios animales salvajes y es considerado una zoonosis. A lo largo del siglo XX se desarrollaron diferentes vacunas basadas en el poxvirus vaccinia que fueron utilizadas para la vacunación frente a la viruela humana. Tras la erradicación de la viruela humana estas vacunas dejaron de utilizarse. Las vacunas actuales frente a la viruela de los monos se clasifican por la OMS como replicativas (ACAM2000), mínimamente replicativas (LC16m8) y no replicativas (MVA-BN), siendo esta última la utilizada en la actualidad. La epidemia extraafricana de viruela de los monos de 2022 ha puesto en evidencia la falta de vacunas de eficacia demostrada y de baja reactogenicidad. Se considera que la utilización de esta vacuna en el brote actual puede desempeñar un papel en la prevención o atenuación de la enfermedad como profilaxis preexposición en contactos estrechos de casos confirmados.

Keywords: Monkeypox virus; Vaccination; Vaccines.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Evolution of the three generations of vaccines against smallpox. CVA: Chorioallantoic Vaccinia; MVA: Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Genetic modifications of the original Ankara virus after 572 passages in chick embryonic cells.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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