A global monkeypox outbreak began in May 2022. Limited data exist on specimen type performance in associated molecular diagnostics. Consequently, a diverse range of specimen sources were collected in the initial weeks of the outbreak in Ontario, Canada. Our clinical evaluation identified skin lesions as the optimal diagnostic specimen source.
Keywords: Canada; MPXV; clades; clinical diagnostics; clinical specimen types; monkeypox; monkeypox virus; preferred specimen source; viruses; zoonoses.