NewsDesk @bactiman63

Researchers from the Genomic Surveillance Team of the National Institute of Health (INS) of the Ministry of Health (Minsa) identified a Peruvian monkeypox virus lineage designated B.1.6 by the International Scientific Committee “mpxv-lineages” ( https: //github.com/mpxv-lineages/lineage-designation ).

Monkeypox B.1.6 lineage
Image/Minsa

In this way, new viral lineages arise in various parts of the world that have been called B.1.1 to B.1.8. with the expansion of the “monkeypox” epidemic globally.

This lineage B.1.6 corresponds to the first new and original lineage identified in the South American region, and is characterized by the nucleotide mutation G111029A, whose impact on the behavior of the virus is still under study.

The INS has sequenced 160 complete monkeypox virus genomes, of which a total of 122 genomes correspond to the B.1.6 lineage that come from Lima.

On the other hand, INS researchers have observed that this B.1.6 lineage is not the only one present in the country, since, at the moment, they have been identifying more than 10 independent introductions of the virus at the national level.

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“There are circulating lineages in some regions such as La Libertad and Arequipa that are still under investigation, which are different from B.1.6, predominant in Lima,” the experts commented, noting that the National Institute of Health will continue working to generate relevant information for the public health of the country.

It is necessary to highlight that our country is providing 11% of the monkeypox genomes sequenced globally, which reflects the great effort made to generate information aimed at understanding the epidemiological dynamics in Peru.