Call for manuscripts

The Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID) and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are inviting submissions for a thematic supplement titled “Mpox: Challenges and Opportunities Following the Global 2022 Outbreak”.

Mpox virus is endemic in countries of west and central Africa, and the human incidence of mpox disease has been increasing for at least the last decade. In May 2022, a worldwide outbreak affecting over >85000 people in over 100 non-endemic countries brought the virus to the forefront of global attention. Prevention and control efforts were focused on traditional public health measures, including vaccination. Many of the pharmacologic treatments and vaccines that were available and deployed to address the 2022 mpox outbreak resulted from preparedness efforts to treat and contain the potential weaponized use of smallpox, a disease that has been eradicated since 1980. The 2022 global mpox outbreak was novel in its geographic scope, number of infections, predominate mode of transmission, and specific networks of people who were largely affected.

JID and CDC encourage authors to submit manuscripts that provide evidence to further our understanding of disease surveillance, public health measures, and research on mpox, not limited to the 2022 global outbreak. Manuscripts will include the following topics:

• Epidemiology and ecology of mpox, including in endemic countries
• Diagnostic advances to identify Orthopoxvirus infections, including mpox virus
• Techniques and strategies to monitor viral drug resistance
• Pathogenesis of mpox disease and molecular biology of mpox virus
• Genetic analyses of viral lineages and viral populations
• Advances in vaccination to prevent infections in both a pre- and post-exposure settings
• Impacts of mpox infection on special populations, both those with underlying clinical conditions and demographic sub-populations

Article types and examples

The following types of articles are acceptable: original research, public health evaluation, public health methodology, correspondence letters, viewpoint, perspectives, research-oriented reviews, editorials, case study, brief reports, reports and recommendations, and commentary. For more details about specific article types and corresponding review criteria, see JID’s Instructions to Authors.

Submissions should be scholarly in nature and offer a clear contribution to new scientific knowledge or public health practice.

A list of examples includes (but is not limited to):

• Analysis of factors (e.g., sexual behavior changes, vaccination) associated with reduced risk of mpox infection among at-risk persons
• Utility of multiplex PCR platforms for diagnosis of mpox infection
• Assessment for viral resistance to tecovirimat among clinical isolates both by PCR analyses for key mutations and phenotypic testing
• Effectiveness of MVA-BN vaccination as pre-exposure prophylaxis against mpox infection comparing route of administration (intradermal vs. subcutaneous) and by HIV status
• Durability of MVA-BN vaccine effectiveness against mpox infection
• Evaluation of immunologic or other biological factors underlying increased duration and severity of mpox infection in persons with advanced HIV
• Results of qualitative surveys to compare vaccine acceptance and uptake among key populations affected by mpox infection that could identify priority populations that could benefit from enhanced vaccination outreach efforts
• Interventions demonstrated successful to increase routine screening for STIs among persons presenting for mpox testing related to sexual exposure, or to increase testing for mpox infection among persons presenting with genital rashes or ulcers

Process and due dates

Authors are requested to first submit abstracts for consideration by JID and the supplement guest editors. Abstract submissions are due to JID no later than midnight April 28, 2023:

Submit your abstracts to this page by April 28, 2023

• Select "Submit a Manuscript,"
• Choose “Mpox Supplement – Abstract" as the article type

For abstracts that are accepted, authors will be invited to submit full manuscripts which will then undergo peer review. Supplement submissions will be held to the same peer-review standards as other submissions to JID. Invited authors will be asked to submit their full manuscripts by June 30, 2023.

Questions?

Please address questions about this call for papers to one of the guest editors: Dr. Andrea McCollum  (azv4@cdc.gov), Taina Joseph (uet2@cdc.gov), Dr. John Brooks (zud4@cdc.gov), and Dr. Inger Damon (iad7@cdc.gov).