According to research published in Nature Medicine, the strain of monkeypox responsible for the current worldwide outbreak differs from its parent strain by roughly 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), a significant amount for an orthopoxvirus.

The current strain is different but descends from a branch associated with exported cases of monkeypox from Nigeria to the U.K., Israel, and Singapore in 2018-2019, and has genetic ties to a significant outbreak in Nigeria in 2017-2018. Its "hard to say" whether any of the mutations have changed viral behavior, but there is additional evidence of ongoing evolution and adaptation during human-to-human transmission thats happening faster than expected. Along with additional sequences made public before May 27, a total of 15 sequences, including the first monkeypox sequence made public on May 20, 2022 by Portugal, were examined.

The researchers also suggested that a particular family of enzymes called mRNA-editing catalytic polypeptide-like 3 (APOBEC3) may have a role in viral genome. Since they can cause mutations in a variety of viruses, these enzymes can be elevated in response to viral infection. 

With the discovery of 15 SNPs associated with human-to-human transmission in the continuing outbreak, the researchers also identified indications of ongoing evolution and adaptability. The experts claimed that very less knowledge was known about the spread of these viruses and how genetic changes were linked to varying transmission dynamics. They also believed that even if the strain for 2022 is more transmissible than earlier iterations, the strategy to prevent spread should be to block the transmission chains. (MedPage Today June 24, 2022)