{"paper_id":"194b768f-daf6-4dc9-9ee9-0692f1933281","body_text":"Duikers are infected with orthopoxviruses | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Biological Sciences - Article Duikers are infected with orthopoxviruses Fabian Leendertz, Kamilla Pleh, Jasmin Schlotterbeck, Harriet Herridge, and 31 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9167723/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract An increasing number of mpox cases caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV; Orthopoxvirus monkeypox ), are reported in West and Central Africa, driven by frequent zoonotic spillovers into human populations that sometimes give rise to epidemic lineages. Designing mitigation strategies to reduce spillover requires a better understanding of the ecology underlying the zoonotic emergence of MPXV. Here, we show that orthopoxviruses, including MPXV, infect duikers, which are popular bushmeat in many mpox endemic regions. In bushmeat markets from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we detected orthopoxvirus DNA in a Weyns's duiker ( Cephalophus weynsi ) and a common duiker ( Sylvicapra grimmia ) using PCR. High throughput sequencing (HTS) detected a small number of reads assigned to MPXV, and 25% of the genome of a close relative to the taterapox virus (TATV; Orthopoxvirus taterapox ), respectively. In the Taï National Park (TNP), Côte d’Ivoire, tissue samples from a Maxwell’s duiker ( Philantomba maxwellii ) carcass were also MPXV PCR positive, and 50% of the viral genome could be recovered. Suspecting scavenging as a route of exposure, we ran metabarcoding analyses on duiker faeces from TNP, which revealed that more than 21% contained non-duiker mammal DNA, including species linked to previous MPXV infections in this ecosystem. Revisiting western chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes verus ) diet data from an mpox outbreak in TNP in 2017, supported an epidemiological link to duiker consumption. Biological sciences/Ecology/Microbial ecology Health sciences/Diseases/Infectious diseases/Viral infection Biological sciences/Microbiology/Virology/Viral transmission Biological sciences/Microbiology/Virology/Viral epidemiology Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTable6.xlsx Supplementary Table 6 SupplementaryTable2.xlsx Supplementary Table 2 ExtendedDataFigure1.jpg Extended Data Figure 1 SupplementaryTable7.xlsx Supplementary Table 7 SupplementaryTable4.xlsx Supplementary Table 4 ExtendedDataFigure2.jpg Extended Data Figure 2 SupplementaryTable5.xlsx Supplementary Table 5 SupplementaryTable3.xlsx Supplementary Table 3 SupplementaryTable8.xlsx Supplementary Table 8 SupplementaryinformationDuikersareinfectedwithorthopoxviruses.docx Supplementary Information SupplementaryVideo3.avi Supplementary Video 3 SupplementaryVideo2.avi Supplementary Video 2 SupplementaryVideo1.avi Supplementary Video 1 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-9167723\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Biological Sciences - Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":608773113,\"identity\":\"9dec6a7f-6595-4436-b69b-16aad88f0a20\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Fabian Leendertz\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,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\",\"orcid\":\"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2169-7375\",\"institution\":\"Helmholtz Institute for One Health, Helmholtz Centre for Infection 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06:52:44\",\"extension\":\"avi\",\"order_by\":13,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"supplement\",\"size\":63402444,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"Supplementary Video 1\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"SupplementaryVideo1.avi\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9167723/v1/9881ac894eb920af9adf6119.avi\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"There is \\u003cb\\u003eNO\\u003c/b\\u003e Competing Interest.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Duikers are infected with orthopoxviruses\",\"fulltext\":[],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":false,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":true,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":false,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":true,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":true,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"nature-portfolio\",\"isNatureJournal\":true,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"\",\"sideBox\":\"\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Nature Portfolio\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":false,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false},\"keywords\":\"\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9167723/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9167723/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"An increasing number of mpox cases caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV; \\u003ci\\u003eOrthopoxvirus monkeypox\\u003c/i\\u003e), are reported in West and Central Africa, driven by frequent zoonotic spillovers into human populations that sometimes give rise to epidemic lineages. Designing mitigation strategies to reduce spillover requires a better understanding of the ecology underlying the zoonotic emergence of MPXV. Here, we show that orthopoxviruses, including MPXV, infect duikers, which are popular bushmeat in many mpox endemic regions. In bushmeat markets from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), we detected orthopoxvirus DNA in a Weyns's duiker (\\u003ci\\u003eCephalophus weynsi\\u003c/i\\u003e) and a common duiker (\\u003ci\\u003eSylvicapra grimmia\\u003c/i\\u003e) using PCR. High throughput sequencing (HTS) detected a small number of reads assigned to MPXV, and 25% of the genome of a close relative to the taterapox virus (TATV; \\u003ci\\u003eOrthopoxvirus taterapox\\u003c/i\\u003e), respectively. In the Taï National Park (TNP), Côte d’Ivoire, tissue samples from a Maxwell’s duiker (\\u003ci\\u003ePhilantomba maxwellii\\u003c/i\\u003e) carcass were also MPXV PCR positive, and 50% of the viral genome could be recovered. Suspecting scavenging as a route of exposure, we ran metabarcoding analyses on duiker faeces from TNP, which revealed that more than 21% contained non-duiker mammal DNA, including species linked to previous MPXV infections in this ecosystem. Revisiting western chimpanzee (\\u003ci\\u003ePan troglodytes verus\\u003c/i\\u003e) diet data from an mpox outbreak in TNP in 2017, supported an epidemiological link to duiker consumption.\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Duikers are infected with orthopoxviruses\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2026-03-20 06:52:38\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9167723/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":false,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"nature\",\"isNatureJournal\":true,\"hasQc\":false,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"nature\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [Nature](http://www.nature.com/nature/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"\",\"title\":\"Nature\",\"twitterHandle\":\"\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":true,\"editorialSystem\":\"ejp\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"Nature\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":false}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"fba1d96d-4519-4c04-9597-e180235a5c92\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"March 20th, 2026\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"editorInvitedReview\",\"content\":\"This content is not available.\",\"date\":\"2026-05-12T19:08:46+00:00\",\"index\":3,\"fulltext\":\"This content is not available.\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"This content is not available.\",\"date\":\"2026-05-07T12:11:30+00:00\",\"index\":3,\"fulltext\":\"This content is not available.\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"This content is not available.\",\"date\":\"2026-05-05T12:56:48+00:00\",\"index\":2,\"fulltext\":\"This content is not available.\"},{\"type\":\"reviewerAgreed\",\"content\":\"This content is not available.\",\"date\":\"2026-05-05T12:53:04+00:00\",\"index\":1,\"fulltext\":\"This content is not available.\"}],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"under-review\",\"subjectAreas\":[{\"id\":64780322,\"name\":\"Biological sciences/Ecology/Microbial ecology\"},{\"id\":64780323,\"name\":\"Health sciences/Diseases/Infectious diseases/Viral infection\"},{\"id\":64780324,\"name\":\"Biological sciences/Microbiology/Virology/Viral transmission\"},{\"id\":64780325,\"name\":\"Biological sciences/Microbiology/Virology/Viral epidemiology\"}],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2026-03-24T18:25:26+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":[],\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2026-03-20 06:52:38\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-9167723\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-9167723\",\"identity\":\"rs-9167723\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}