{
  "abstract": "Background and objectives Mpox, declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO, has demonstrated sporadic transmission globally. While India reported 66 confirmed cases predominantly linked to international travel, the possibility of silent community circulation remains unconfirmed, particularly within high-risk populations. Serological surveys are crucial for detecting past exposure, including asymptomatic infections that may be missed by clinical surveillance. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of anti-MPXV IgG and IgM antibodies and identify socio-demographic and behavioural determinants of seropositivity among key populations in India. Methods A multicentric, cross-sectional sentinel serosurvey was conducted between September 2023 to March 2024 across seven community-based organisation sites in India. A total of 1,790 participants aged 18-40 y (born after cessation of smallpox vaccination in India) were enrolled. Serological testing was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for anti-MPXV IgG and IgM antibodies. Plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT50) was used to assess functional neutralising antibodies against both MPXV and Vaccinia virus. Results Among 1,790 participants, 14 (0.78%) tested positive for anti-MPXV IgG, with no IgM positivity detected. IgG-positive individuals were predominantly male (57.1%), aged 31-40 y (85.7%), and sexually active (75.9%). Geographic distribution ranged from 0.34% (Delhi NCR) to 2.07% (Kerala). PRNT50 assay revealed functional neutralising antibodies against MPXV in 64.3% (9/14) of IgG-positive samples, with evidence of cross-reactive immunity to Vaccinia virus in 93.9% (13/14). Interpretation and conclusions This multicentric sentinel serosurvey identified very low Mpox virus seroprevalence (0.78%) among key populations in India, suggesting limited prior exposure. The absence of IgM antibodies indicates that infections were not recent and provides no evidence of ongoing community transmission during the study period. Detection of neutralising antibodies in a subset of IgG-positive individuals supports prior Orthopoxvirus exposure. These findings establish baseline sero-epidemiological evidence for Mpox in India and underscore the importance of periodic sentinel sero surveillance for early detection and outbreak preparedness.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Division of Implementation Research, ICMR-National Institute of Translational Virology and AIDS Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India.",
    "Division of Descriptive Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.",
    "Maximum Containment Facility, ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, Maharashtra, India.",
    "Department of Microbiology, Maulana Azad Medical College & Associated LN Hospitals, New Delhi, India.",
    "Department of Microbiology, Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research and Seth Sukhlal Karnani Memorial Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.",
    "Department of Microbiology, Zoram Medical College and Hospital, Mizoram, India.",
    "Department of Microbiology, VRDL, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.",
    "Department of Microbiology, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, Telangana, India.",
    "Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Amritsar, Punjab, India.",
    "India HIV/AIDS Alliance, New Delhi, India.",
    "Centre for Advanced Research in Health and Human Behavior (CARB), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.",
    "Amitie Trust, Hooghly, West Bengal, India.",
    "PATH, New Delhi, India.",
    "Y.R. Gaitonde Centre for AIDS Research and Education, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.",
    "Udaan Trust, Raigad, Maharashtra, India.",
    "Mansa Foundation Welfare Society, Amritsar, Punjab, India.",
    "Division of Clinical Trials Unit, ICMR-National Institute of Translational Virology and AIDS Research, Pune, Maharashtra, India.",
    "Division of Communicable Diseases, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India.",
    "Kerala Unit, ICMR-National Institute of Virology, Pune, Maharashtra, India."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 35,
  "authors": [
    {
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        0
      ],
      "name": "Megha Mamulwar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Sumit Aggarwal"
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    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Rima R Sahay"
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    {
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        3
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      "name": "Sonal Saxena"
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        4
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      "name": "Hasina Banu"
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        5
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      "name": "Swagnik Roy"
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        6
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      "name": "Manjusree S"
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        7
      ],
      "name": "Sudha Rani Vannavada"
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    {
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        8
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      "name": "Kanwardeep Singh"
    },
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        9
      ],
      "name": "Binoy Chandra R"
    },
    {
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        10
      ],
      "name": "Harikumar S K"
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        11
      ],
      "name": "Aparna Banerjee"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12
      ],
      "name": "Kannan Mariyappan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        13
      ],
      "name": "A K Srikrishnan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        14
      ],
      "name": "Vijay Nair"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        15
      ],
      "name": "Mohan Mahant"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        16
      ],
      "name": "Prajakta Kadale"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Anita M Shete"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Kuldeep Nigam"
    },
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        17
      ],
      "name": "Neetu Vijay"
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    {
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        11
      ],
      "name": "Gayatri Bhambure"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Rashmi G Shinde"
    },
    {
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        2
      ],
      "name": "Rajlaxmi Jain"
    },
    {
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        18
      ],
      "name": "Pournami A P"
    },
    {
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        16
      ],
      "name": "Shilpa Bembalkar"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4
      ],
      "name": "Raja Ray"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        12
      ],
      "name": "Krishnaswamy Raj Hariandran"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Megh Singh Dhakad"
    },
    {
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        6
      ],
      "name": "Athira R Nair"
    },
    {
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        7
      ],
      "name": "Srinath Mote"
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    {
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        2
      ],
      "name": "Deepak Mali"
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    {
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        2
      ],
      "name": "Ujjwala Gaikwad"
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    {
      "affs": [
        2
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      "name": "Pragya D Yadav"
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    {
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        16
      ],
      "name": "Sheela Godbole"
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    {
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        17
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      "name": "Nivedita Gupta"
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  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96qxg135enxt2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.25259/ijmr_1015_2026",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13650801",
  "id": "96qxg135enxt2",
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    "0971-5916"
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  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-SA",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-SA",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
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      "2406|Poxvirus research and outbreaks"
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  "openalex": "W7213625418",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13650801?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13650801",
  "pmid": "42851227",
  "published": "2026-08-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96qxg135enxt2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42851227",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42851227"
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  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2406|Poxvirus research and outbreaks",
      "subfield": "microbiology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Sentinel serosurvey for Mpox virus infection among key populations in India: Evidence of sporadic past exposure beyond travel-related cases.",
  "title_text": "Sentinel serosurvey for Mpox virus infection among key populations in India: Evidence of sporadic past exposure beyond travel-related cases.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:18:10Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/96qxg135enxt2",
  "venue": "The Indian journal of medical research",
  "versions": []
}