SARS-CoV-2 and monkeypox: what is common and what is not in a present pandemic versus a potential one—a neuropsychiatric narrative review

Abstract

Pandemic represents challenging medical emergency as it is usually associated with high rates of mortalities and morbidities. Along the last 2 and half years the world has faced the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 pandemic that caught medical agencies and health authorities by surprise and costed more than half billion morbidities and 6 million mortalities. Unfortunately, the way developed countries contained the novel corona virus was unsatisfactory in means of early quarantines as well as obtaining and distributing an effective vaccine. This failure in management might have been responsible for the emergence of a new potential pandemic caused by monkeypox virus. Along the current review article, a detailed comparison is presented between corona virus and monkeypox virus based on virological characteristics, role of corona virus in monkeypox spread, pathogenesis, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and treatment and management. It is obvious that both viruses have a major role in causing various neuropsychiatric manifestations. Neurological manifestations are either bound directly to the virus spread to central and peripheral nervous system or secondary to triggering an immune reaction. Psychiatric ones are mostly related to stigmatization, isolation as well as changes that takes place in neurotransmitters and their metabolites within the nervous system. Dealing properly with monkeypox virus spread through previously learned lessons from corona virus might protect the world from a new pandemic.

The study of human monkeypox disease in 2022 using the epidemic models: herd immunity and the basic reproduction number case

“…The most important conclusion about this value which affects the population is that the infection of the 2022 human MPOX disease starts to spread, that is, the 2022 human MPOX disease is a pandemic in its 2022 outbreak. This can be compared with the previous problem, which is the 2019 coronavirus disease 19 , 50 – 53 where it is seen that the spreading rhythm of the 2022 human MPOX disease is less than that of the 2019 coronavirus disease. Also, it is found that the values of herd immunity for the 2022 human MPOX disease are 35.52% for the United States and 30.99% for Spain.…”

“…Also, a study discussed the detection of traces of the disease in clinical samples 18 . Some studies showed specific reviews about the MPOX disease in 2022 or compared with other diseases 19 , 20 . The 2022 outbreak of the human MPOX disease began to spread over 111 countries around the world (including the suspected cases) as of the middle of December 2022.…”

Functional Analysis of Monkeypox and Interrelationship between Monkeypox and COVID-19 by Bioinformatic Analysis

“…Although SARS-CoV-2 and MPXV are both enveloped viruses that replicate in the cytoplasm and require host machinery to replicate and make new viral proteins, there are distinctions between the two viruses [ 23 ]. MPXV is a double-stranded DNA virus, whereas SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus.…”

“…Several studies have reported the possible relationship between monkeypox and COVID-19. One connection is that patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection are more prone to coinfect with MPXV due to the reduced amount of circulating immune cells [ 23 ]. Another link between the SARS-CoV-2 and MPXV outbreaks is a lack of immunity in younger generations to the smallpox virus.…”

“…Another link between the SARS-CoV-2 and MPXV outbreaks is a lack of immunity in younger generations to the smallpox virus. Smallpox is in the same family as monkeypox, and the discontinuation of its vaccine contributes to increased monkeypox cases as well as spread of SARS-CoV-2 by lowering immunity among local residents [ 23 , 24 ]. It is still unclear whether the new monkeypox outbreak is a distinct phenomenon or if it is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 25 ].…”