Create reliable diagnostic tools with credible reference materials
Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus. This pathogen spreads through close contact with infected humans or animals and has a case fatality ratio that has historically ranged from 1 to 10%.
In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding the upsurge of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number of countries in Africa. To combat this outbreak, officials have recommended mpox vaccination in the early stages of the disease, which can help build immunity and reduce the severity of symptoms. Vaccination is also recommended for laboratory professionals who work with monkeypox virus and other orthopoxviruses. In the United States, a vaccine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2019 for preventing mpox is available for individuals with confirmed or presumed mpox exposure.
Accurate and rapid diagnosis of the disease is also critical for timely healthcare and tracking of transmission. To support the need for rapid diagnosis, ATCC provides a variety of orthopoxviruses and nucleic acids that support increased monitoring as well as assay development and validation, including a live virus, heat-inactivated virus, and genomic DNA for monkeypox virus strain hMPX/USA/MA001/2002. We also provide a research use only (RUO) quantitative synthetic monkeypox virus DNA preparation with a sequence design based on published assays.
Guidance from the USDA is that all strains of Vaccinia virus require a VS 16-6A permit. Please refer to the USDA website for further information.
Mpox Cases Spread Undetected in Non-endemic Countries
Since the identification of the first human case of mpox in 1970, the monkeypox virus has become endemic to several countries in central and western Africa and has been detected in humans in other regions of the world.
Read the blog to learn more
Design your assay
ATCC’s collection includes a variety of live orthopoxviruses and nucleic acids that support mpox research efforts and assay development, including several strains recommended for exclusivity testing. We are also currently preparing additional genomic DNA products for distribution to our customers and plan to continue monitoring the outbreak carefully to ensure we have the products needed to support research efforts. Explore our recommended strains below to get started on developing your molecular diagnostic assay. Investigators are also encouraged to visit BEI Resources, an NIAID-funded program managed by ATCC, which offers a catalog of mpox and pox-related materials to qualified researchers.
Guidance from the USDA is that all strains of Vaccinia virus require a VS 16-6A permit. Please refer to the USDA website for further information.
Explore related resources
Molecular standards
The extraction, preparation, and verification of nucleic acids can often require extensive amounts of time, labor, and expense. ATCC has addressed this issue by developing convenient, easy-to-use, genomic and synthetic molecular standards for quantitative nucleic acid amplification applications. These highly validated process controls remove the burden of culture work, nucleic acid extraction, and quantitation.
Find molecular standardsZoonotic diseases
The frequency of zoonotic disease transmission has been increasing over time—it is believed that as many as 3 out of every 4 new diseases in humans come from an animal source. As in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will partner with the global research community to acquire, authenticate, maintain, and distribute the clinically relevant pathogens needed to respond to emerging zoonotic diseases.
Explore now
