Bloomberg A man with advanced HIV died with drug-resistant mpox replicating in his brain, US scientists found, in a case that shows how the virus can persist and evolve just as global health programs to check such infections are being scaled back.
The findings, based on a detailed autopsy by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and released as a preprint Thursday, suggest mpox can spread far beyond the skin lesions that typically define the disease. The virus was found infecting the brain and continuing to multiply there despite lower viral levels than in other tissues. The case also showed mutations linked to resistance to tecovirimat, a drug used against mpox that studies later found offers little benefit for many patients.
The report highlights risks that could increase in parts of Africa, where mpox is spreading among populations with high rates of untreated HIV. Researchers warned in September that cuts to global health funding are undermining HIV care and outbreak response, creating conditions for longer infections and more severe disease.