infectious diseases
Mpox (Monkeypox)
Diagnosis of Mpox
Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Diagnosis of mpox is by culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemistry, or electron microscopy, depending on which tests are available. PCR assays using skin lesions (roof or fluid from vesicles and pustules and/or dry crusts) are the optimal sample. Blood PCR is limited by the short duration of viremia and is not recommended. In the United States, PCR testing is available through public health laboratories and commercial laboratories. Testing should be considered in patients with clinically compatible lesions and an epidemiologic risk factor as well as any patient with a characteristic lesion (deep-seated vesicle or pustule with central umbilication). (See alsoCDC: Case Definitions for Use in the 2022 Mpox Response.) 