Published in:
12-01-2023 | Post-Exposure Prophylaxis | Clinical Vignette
Mpox and Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing in the Outpatient Primary Care Setting—Why LGBTQ Health Is Global Health
Authors:
Ysabel C. Ilagan-Ying, MD, Ann Fisher, MD, Anna Zimmerman, MD, Anthony Pellegrino, RN, Scott C. Roberts, MD, MS
Published in:
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|
Issue 4/2023
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Excerpt
Mpox, an orthopoxvirus first diagnosed in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is the cause of an ongoing outbreak in the USA that risks becoming endemic.
1,2 Rapid mpox recognition in the outpatient setting is essential to appropriately triage care and contain exposure risk. However, the absence of classic rash distribution or prodromal symptoms, common in prior reports, makes diagnosis difficult. In a large epidemiologic investigation in the current outbreak, viral prodromes varied and the majority of patients presented with anogenital skin lesions.
3‐5 Most concerning, some patients reported only a solitary anogenital lesion as is common in many sexually transmitted infections (STI),
3,4 with many cases involving men who have sex with men (MSM). While the extent of sexual transmission remains under investigation, the high proportion of cases in MSM is likely due to the skin-to-skin and close prolonged contact afforded by sexual activity in those with multiple partners in a sexual network.
5 …
