Histopathological features of human monkeypox: Report of two cases and review of the literature

Human monkeypox is an emerging zoonosis with epidemic potential. Although it usually causes a mild disease, some patients are at risk for complications, including death. In face of the current outbreak of monkeypox in non-endemic areas, awareness is paramount to diagnose it timely, prompting an early break of the transmission chain. Histopathologic findings in vesiculopustular lesions of monkeypox are distinctive, consisting of ballooning and reticular degeneration of keratinocytes, necrosis, especially of the upper portions of the epithelium, multinucleation of keratinocytes, nuclear enlargement showing a “basophilic halo” around a “ground glass” eosinophilic center, the orthopoxvirus-specific cytoplasmic eosinophilic Guarnieri-type inclusions (in the pustular stage especially), and a dense mixed inflammatory cell infiltrate with prominent neutrophil exocytosis. The diagnosis of human monkeypox requires a high index of suspicion. In correlation with clinical information, histopathological findings allow for a presumptive diagnosis of monkeypox if polymerase chain reaction testing is not available. Both clinicians and pathologists can optimize diagnostic sensitivity, respectively, by considering the epidemiological context, sampling pustular lesions and providing data for clinicopathological correlation, and by intentionally searching the tell-tale eosinophilic inclusions in genital, anal and oral lesions with reticular and ballooning degenerescence.