An adult patient with suspected of monkeypox infection differential diagnosed to chickenpox

Background: Monkeypox is a zoonosis. The disease has a similar appearance to chickenpox caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). On May 9^th 2019, there was one laboratory-confirmed case of monkeypox reported in Singapore. A man was also suspected of having monkeypox on June 1^st 2019 in Surabaya, Indonesia, a neighboring country.

Objective: To report on a suspected case of monkeypox with differential diagnosis to chickenpox.

Case: A 51-year-old male was suspected of having monkeypox after a differential diagnosis of chickenpox. His chief complaint was multiple blisters on his body. From the dermatological status on his facial, trunk and extremity regions, there were multiple pleiomorphic vesicles, some with umbilication, with a centripetal distribution, and crusts.

Methods and results: A PCR using VZV specific primers, followed by genome sequencing showed homologies of more than 99 % to other VZVs and less than 50% to Monkeypox sequences.

Conclusion: Molecular laboratory techniques have confirmed the case as chickenpox.