Sentinel serosurvey for Mpox virus infection among key populations in India: Evidence of sporadic past exposure beyond travel-related cases.

@article{mamulwar2026sentinel,
  title = {{Sentinel serosurvey for Mpox virus infection among key populations in India: Evidence of sporadic past exposure beyond travel-related cases.}},
  author = {Megha Mamulwar and Sumit Aggarwal and Rima R Sahay and Sonal Saxena and Hasina Banu and Swagnik Roy and Manjusree S and Sudha Rani Vannavada and Kanwardeep Singh and Binoy Chandra R and Harikumar S K and Aparna Banerjee and Kannan Mariyappan and A K Srikrishnan and Vijay Nair and Mohan Mahant and Prajakta Kadale and Anita M Shete and Kuldeep Nigam and Neetu Vijay and Gayatri Bhambure and Rashmi G Shinde and Rajlaxmi Jain and Pournami A P and Shilpa Bembalkar and Raja Ray and Krishnaswamy Raj Hariandran and Megh Singh Dhakad and Athira R Nair and Srinath Mote and Deepak Mali and Ujjwala Gaikwad and Pragya D Yadav and Sheela Godbole and Nivedita Gupta},
  journal = {The Indian journal of medical research},
  year = {2026},
  month = aug,
  doi = {10.25259/ijmr_1015_2026},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42851227},
  note = {CC BY-NC-SA},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Sentinel serosurvey for Mpox virus infection among key populations in India: Evidence of sporadic past exposure beyond travel-related cases.
AU  - Megha Mamulwar
AU  - Sumit Aggarwal
AU  - Rima R Sahay
AU  - Sonal Saxena
AU  - Hasina Banu
AU  - Swagnik Roy
AU  - Manjusree S
AU  - Sudha Rani Vannavada
AU  - Kanwardeep Singh
AU  - Binoy Chandra R
AU  - Harikumar S K
AU  - Aparna Banerjee
AU  - Kannan Mariyappan
AU  - A K Srikrishnan
AU  - Vijay Nair
AU  - Mohan Mahant
AU  - Prajakta Kadale
AU  - Anita M Shete
AU  - Kuldeep Nigam
AU  - Neetu Vijay
AU  - Gayatri Bhambure
AU  - Rashmi G Shinde
AU  - Rajlaxmi Jain
AU  - Pournami A P
AU  - Shilpa Bembalkar
AU  - Raja Ray
AU  - Krishnaswamy Raj Hariandran
AU  - Megh Singh Dhakad
AU  - Athira R Nair
AU  - Srinath Mote
AU  - Deepak Mali
AU  - Ujjwala Gaikwad
AU  - Pragya D Yadav
AU  - Sheela Godbole
AU  - Nivedita Gupta
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/01
JO  - The Indian journal of medical research
DO  - 10.25259/ijmr_1015_2026
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42851227
AB  - 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.
SN  - 0971-5916
ER  -