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Volume 32, Number 3—March 2026
Dispatch
Optimal Specimens and Lesions for Mpox Diagnosis Using Real-Time PCR, South Korea
Dong-Min Kim, Munawir Muhammad, Jin Won Kim, Choon-Mee Kim, Jun-Won Seo, Da Young Kim, Na Ra Yun, Beomgi Lee, Minji Lee, Jeong Hyun Lee, Myung-Min Choi, and Yoon-Seok Chung
Table 1
Mpox specimen types and Ct values of 135 confirmed patient samples acquired from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency when a suspected mpox patient visited the hospital, South Korea, 2022–2023*
| Specimen type | Samples |
χ2 | Ct values |
Median (IQR) days after symptom onset | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | No. (%) positive | Mean (SD) | Median (95% CI) | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | p value | |||
| All skin lesions |
362 |
336 (92.82) |
24.41 (6.90) |
22.01 (21.55–22.87) |
19.25 |
28.19 |
6 (2.00–8.00) |
||
| Type | |||||||||
| Crust | 75 | 70 (93.33) | 0.2965 | 22.51 (6.52) | 20.63 (19.59–21.76) | 18.30 | 24.48 | <0.0001 | 7.00 (2.00–13.00) |
| Other | 260 | 239 (91.92) | 25.32 (7.02) | 23.33 (22.11–24.6) | 19.74 | 30 | 5.00 (2.00–7.00) | ||
| Unknown |
27 |
27 (100) |
20.9 (4.20) |
19.85 (19.17–21.74) |
18.87 |
21.85 |
7.00 (5.00–10.00) |
||
| Site | |||||||||
| Anogenital | 74 | 72 (97.30) | 0.1142 | 22.58 (6.15) | 20.78 (19.71–22.06) | 17.91 | 25.65 | 0.0178 | 6.00 (3.00–7.25) |
| Other | 116 | 109 (93.97) | 25.14 (6.91) | 22.82 (21.51–24.91) | 19.91 | 29.94 | 5.00 (2.25–7.75) | ||
| Unknown |
172 |
155 (90.12) |
24.7 (7.10) |
22.51 (21.16–24.25) |
19.47 |
28.71 |
6.00 (1.00–8.00) |
||
| Nationality | |||||||||
| South Korea | 338 | 314 (92.90) | 0.8154 | 24.24 (6.84) | 21.87 (21.66–22.77) | 19.24 | 27.7 | 0.2068 | |
| Other Asian | 21 | 19 (90.50) | 26.57 (7.47) | 25 (20.85–30.25) | 20.75 | 30.46 | |||
| West |
3 |
3 (100) |
28.32 (8.42) |
30.39 (19.06–35.52) |
19.06 |
35.52 |
|||
| Sample location | |||||||||
| Upper respiratory tract | 109 | 75 (68.81) | 0.5564 | 33.29 (6.05) | 33.61 (32.52–35.24) | 29.09 | 40 | 0.3505 | 5.00 (2.00–8.00) |
| Nasopharynx | 4 | 2 (50) | 36.53 (4.13) | 37.14 (31.84–40.00) | 32.45 | 40 | 5.00 (0.75–7.75) | ||
| Oropharynx | 28 | 18 (64.29) | 34.35 (5.11) | 34.37 (31.22–40.00) | 29.78 | 40 | 3.00 (0.00–8.00) | ||
| Unknown |
77 |
55 (71.43) |
32.74 (6.39) |
33.16 (31.44–35.24) |
27.56 |
40 |
6.00 (3.00–8.00) |
||
| Blood |
135 |
38 (28.19) |
NA |
38.75 (2.56) |
40.00 (40.00–40.00) |
38.61 |
40.00 |
NA |
5.00 (3.00–7.00) |
| Rectal swab | 6 | 6 (100) | NA | 21.68 (4.708) | 20.19 (17.61–30.82) | 18.85 | 24.23 | NA | 5.00 (1.50–12.25) |
*Ct, cycle threshold; IQR, interquartile range; NA, not available.
Page created: February 13, 2026
Page updated: March 03, 2026
Page reviewed: March 03, 2026
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