Topic
Chikungunya
About: Chikungunya is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4078 publications have been published within this topic receiving 123584 citations. The topic is also known as: chikungunya fever and pain & Chikungunya fever.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
More filters
TL;DR: It is suggested that this Wolbachia-mediated pathogen interference may work synergistically with the life-shortening strategy proposed previously to provide a powerful approach for the control of insect transmitted diseases.
1,404 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an outbreak of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was reported in Italy, where the primary source of infection and modes of transmission were identified and an active surveillance system was also implemented.
1,373 citations
TL;DR: The observation that a single amino acid substitution can influence vector specificity provides a plausible explanation of how this mutant virus caused an epidemic in a region lacking the typical vector, and has important implications with respect to how viruses may establish a transmission cycle when introduced into a new area.
Abstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging arbovirus associated with several recent large-scale epidemics. The 2005–2006 epidemic on Reunion island that resulted in approximately 266,000 human cases was associated with a strain of CHIKV with a mutation in the envelope protein gene (E1-A226V). To test the hypothesis that this mutation in the epidemic CHIKV (strain LR2006 OPY1) might influence fitness for different vector species, viral infectivity, dissemination, and transmission of CHIKV were compared in Aedes albopictus, the species implicated in the epidemic, and the recognized vector Ae. aegypti. Using viral infectious clones of the Reunion strain and a West African strain of CHIKV, into which either the E1–226 A or V mutation was engineered, we demonstrated that the E1-A226V mutation was directly responsible for a significant increase in CHIKV infectivity for Ae. albopictus, and led to more efficient viral dissemination into mosquito secondary organs and transmission to suckling mice. This mutation caused a marginal decrease in CHIKV Ae. aegypti midgut infectivity, had no effect on viral dissemination, and was associated with a slight increase in transmission by Ae. aegypti to suckling mice in competition experiments. The effect of the E1-A226V mutation on cholesterol dependence of CHIKV was also analyzed, revealing an association between cholesterol dependence and increased fitness of CHIKV in Ae. albopictus. Our observation that a single amino acid substitution can influence vector specificity provides a plausible explanation of how this mutant virus caused an epidemic in a region lacking the typical vector. This has important implications with respect to how viruses may establish a transmission cycle when introduced into a new area. Due to the widespread distribution of Ae. albopictus, this mutation increases the potential for CHIKV to permanently extend its range into Europe and the Americas.
1,303 citations
TL;DR: Viruses such as dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) that have lost the requirement for enzootic amplification now produce extensive epidemics in tropical urban centers, and climate warming could facilitate the expansion of the distributions of many arboviruses.
1,250 citations
TL;DR: The results indicate that the chikungunya virus outbreak was initiated by a strain related to East-African isolates, from which viral variants have evolved following a traceable microevolution history and may be due to adaptation to the mosquito vector.
Abstract: A chikungunya virus outbreak of unprecedented magnitude is currently ongoing in Indian Ocean territories. In Reunion Island, this alphavirus has already infected about one-third of the human population. The main clinical symptom of the disease is a painful and invalidating poly-arthralgia. Besides the arthralgic form, 123 patients with a confirmed chikungunya infection have developed severe clinical signs, i.e., neurological signs or fulminant hepatitis.
1,085 citations