The Cameroon Pasteur Center (CPC) reached a decisive milestone in the surveillance of Monkeypox (formerly monkeypox) by completing the complete sequencing of the virus in May 2025. This major advance marks a turning point in the understanding and monitoring of this viral disease, two years after an initial partial sequencing carried out in July 2023.
Complete sequencing allows for the analysis of the entire genome of the Monkeypox virus (orthopoxvirus), providing a precise map of its genetic material. All the nucleotide bases (A, T, C, G) constituting the viral DNA are thus identified, paving the way for a better understanding of its evolution.
The sequencing led by Dr. Delia Doreen Djuicy brings several major benefits:

• Epidemiological monitoring: it allows the evolution of the virus to be monitored and the emergence of new variants to be detected;
• Traceability: it facilitates the identification of transmission chains during epidemics;
• Phylogenetic analysis: it sheds light on the origin of the virus, its variants and its genetic diversity;
• Mutation assessment: it helps to identify possible modifications of the virus linked to its virulence or its resistance to treatments and vaccines.

“This major advancement positions the Centre Pasteur du Cameroun as a center of excellence in sequencing and research on Mpox in the subregion,” said the team members, including Delia Djuicy, Landry Mounchili, Philippe Njitoyap, and Henri Moumbeket. The success of this operation was made possible thanks to logistical support from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), demonstrating the strengthening of cooperation between African states in public health.

The process leading to this scientific breakthrough includes several technical steps: viral DNA extraction, library preparation, sequencing, bioinformatics analysis through genome assembly and alignment, and final phylogenetic analysis.

This success constitutes an essential lever for improving the health response to Mpox and strengthens the continent’s capacity to deal with emerging epidemic threats.