• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.457-464
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• 2022

A public health concern emerging from a zoonotic disease. Monkeypox is caused by the orthopoxvirus specie Monkeypox virus (MPXV). Monkeypox was identified as the most common orthopoxvirus infection in humans following the eradication of smallpox. Monkeypox has a similar clinical presentation to smallpox. The MPXV is now considered a high-threat pathogen that causes a serious public-health problem. The continuous spread of Monkeypox virus from West Africa to all other places around the world throughout 2018 to 2022, have raised concerns that MPXV could have emerged to acquire the immunological and ecological niche vacated by smallpox virus. This review highlights the current knowledge about Monkeypox evolution, infection biology, and epidemiology around the world since from 1970 to 2022, with a focus on the human, viral, and cellular factors that influence virus emergence, infection, spread, and maintenance in nature. This paper also discusses the current therapeutic options for Monkeypox treatment and control. Under the right conditions, with limited smallpox vaccination and very little orthopoxvirus immunity in some areas of the world, MPXV could become a more efficient human pathogen. Finally, the review identified knowledge gaps, particularly in terms of identifying a definitive reservoir host for monkeypox and proposes future research endeavors to address the unanswered questions.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.687-693
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• 2023

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic more than 6 million people have died, and it has bought unprecedented challenges to our lives. The recent outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has brought out new tensions among the scientific community. Currently, there is no specific treatment protocol for MPXV. Several antivirals, vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) and smallpox vaccines have been used to treat MPXV. Ginseng, one of the more famous among traditional medicines, has been used for infectious disease for thousands of years. It has shown promising antiviral effects. Ginseng could be used as a potential adaptogenic agent to help prevent infection by MPXV along with other drugs and vaccines. In this mini review, we explore the possible use of ginseng in MPXV prevention based on its antiviral activity.