Table 2. Anal and urethral swabs, according to their collection time relative to symptom onset for each monkeypox case, with real-time-PCR results, viral culture results, and time to viral culture positivity, Italy, May–July 2022 (n = 33 cases).
| Case number | Anal swab ≤ 7 days |
Urethral swab ≤ 7 days |
Anal swab 8–14 days |
Urethral swab 8–14 days |
Anal swab 15–21 days |
Urethral swab 15–21 days |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days since symptom onset (Cq) |
Viral culture (days to viral culture positivity) |
Days since symptom onset (Cq) |
Viral culture (days to viral culture positivity) |
Days since symptom onset (Cq) |
Viral culture (days to viral culture positivity) |
Days since symptom onset (Cq) |
Viral culture (days to viral culture positivity) |
Days since symptom onset (Cq) |
Viral culture (days to viral culture positivity) |
Days since symptom onset (Cq) |
Viral culture (days to viral culture positivity) |
|
| 1 | 5 (17) | POS (3) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 12 (24) | POS (4) | 12 (34) | NEG (NA) | 19 (38) | NEG (NA) | 19 (NEG) | NA(NA) |
| 2 | 4 (18) | POS (4) | 4 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 11 (28) | POS (5) | 11 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 3 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 8 (34) | NEG (NA) | 16 (33) | POS (6) | 16 (26) | POS (5) |
| 4 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 14 (35) | Contaminatedc | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 5 | 4 (24) | Contaminatedc | 4 (34) | NEG (NA) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 6 | 7 (20) | POS (4) | 7 (19) | POS (4) | 14 (36) | NEG (NA) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (35) | NEG (NA) | 21 (36) | NEG (NA) |
| 7 | 3 (35) | NEG (NA) | 3 (28) | POS (6) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 8 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 10 (29) | POS (6) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 9 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 13 (37) | Contaminatedc | 13 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 19 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 19 (37) | NEG (NA) |
| 10 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 11 | 7 (31) | Contaminatedc | 7 (25) | POS (5) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 12 | 2 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 11 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 11 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 13 | 6 (16) | POS (3) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 11 (21) | POS (4) | 11 (34) | NEG (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 14 | 1 (23) | POS (5) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 13 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 13 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 15a | 3 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 3 (35) | NEG (NA) | 9 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 9 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 16 | 5 (34) | POS (7) | 5 (35) | POS (7) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 17 | 2 (34) | POS (7) | 2 (30) | POS (6) | 8 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 8 (33) | POS (6) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 18 | 7 (19) | POS (4) | 7 (32) | NEG (NA) | 8 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA | NA (NA) |
| 19b | 7 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 7 (36) | POS (7) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA | NA (NA) |
| 20 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 11 (25) | POS (5) | 11 (35) | NEG (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 21 | 7 (26) | POS (6) | 7 (28) | POS (5) | 14 (31) | NEG (NA) | 14 (35) | NEG (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 18 (36) | NEG (NA) |
| 22 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 10 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 10 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 23 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 24 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 14 (22) | POS (5) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 25 | 6 (16) | POS (3) | 6 (36) | NEG (NA) | 13 (24) | POS (5) | 13 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 20 (35) | NEG (NA) | 20 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 26 | 3 (24) | POS (5) | 3 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 10 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 10 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 27 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 14 (30) | POS (6) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
| 28 | 3 (19) | Contaminatedc | 3 (31) | POS (6) | 10 (17) | POS (4) | 10 (25) | POS (5) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 18 (28) | POS (5) |
| 29 | 4 (37) | NEG (NA) | 4 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 10 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 10 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 16 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 16 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 30 | 2 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 2 (30) | POS (5) | 11 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 11 (28) | POS (5) | 21 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 21 (37) | NEG (NA) |
| 31 | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 18 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 32 | 7 (32) | POS (6) | 7 (30) | POS (5) | 14 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 14 (37) | NEG (NA) | 19 (NEG) | NA (NA) | 19 (NEG) | NA (NA) |
| 33 | 7 (31) | POS (6) | 7 (25) | POS (5) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) | NA (NA) |
Cq: quantification cycle in real-time PCR; NA: not performed (either because there was no swab collected, or because the PCR was negative, so there was no subsequent viral culture); MPXV: monkeypox virus; NEG: negative; POS: positive.
a The case was a variola-vaccinated contact of a confirmed monkeypox case who reported, 3 days before the swab collection, 1 day of fever. He did not develop rash nor any other symptom in the 28 days following the presumed date of MPXV exposure.
b The case was vaccinated against variola and reported a 7-day-prior exposure to a confirmed MPX case. He did not develop rash in the 28 days following the presumed date of MPXV exposure. For this case the time to swab collection was calculated from the presumed date of MPXV exposure.
c Viral culture contaminated by Candida spp. not allowing to assess the cytopathic effect of MPXV.