Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jun;112(4):182-194.
doi: 10.1080/20477724.2018.1478777. Epub 2018 May 28.

Chikungunya fever: a threat to global public health

Affiliations
Review

Chikungunya fever: a threat to global public health

Raíza Nara Cunha Moizéis et al. Pathog Glob Health. 2018 Jun.

Abstract

Chikungunya fever is an emerging arbovirus infection, representing a serious public health problem. Its etiological agent is the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Transmission of this virus is mainly vector by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, although transmission by blood transfusions and vertical transmission has also been reported. The disease presents high morbidity caused mainly by the arthralgia and arthritis generated. Cardiovascular and neurological manifestations have also been reported. The severity of the infection seems to be directly associated with the action of the virus, but also with the decompensation of preexisting comorbidities. Currently, there are no therapeutic products neither vaccines licensed to the infection CHIKV control, although several vaccine candidates are being evaluated and human polyvalent immunoglobulins anti-CHIKV had been tested. Antibodies can protect against the infection, but in sub-neutralizing concentrations can augment virus infection and exacerbate disease severity. So, the prevention still depends on the use of personal protection measures and vector control, which are only minimally effective.

Keywords: Chikungunya virus; arboviruses; chikungunya fever; chikungunya virus infection; chikungunya virus pathogenesis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic representation of the pathogenesis of chikungunya virus infection in the human host. Notes: The virus is introduced into the skin by the bite of the infected mosquito, where it initiates replication in macrophages and cutaneous fibroblasts. Viral particles are captured by dendritic cells from the skin that carry them to the nearest lymph nodes where they will infect macrophages and monocytes. Infected monocytes enter the bloodstream carrying the viruses to multiple organs such as: liver, kidneys, heart, brain, eyes, skeletal muscles, and joints, where they replicate and induce inflammatory response.

References

    1. Ross RW. The Newala epidemic. III. The virus: isolation, pathogenic properties and relationship to the epidemic. J Hyg (Lond). 1956;54:177–191.10.1017/S0022172400044442 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Thiboutot MM, Kannan S, Kawalekar OU, et al. . Chikungunya: a potentially emerging epidemic? PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2010;4(4):e623.10.1371/journal.pntd.0000623 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Halstead SB. Reappearance of chikungunya, formerly called Dengue, in the Americas. Emerg Infect Dis. 2015;21(4):557–561. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Powers AM, Brault Robert BAC, Tesh RB, et al. . Re-emergence of chikungunya and o’nyong-nyong viruses: evidence for distinct geographical lineages and distant evolutionary relationships. J Gen Virol. 2000;81:471–479.10.1099/0022-1317-81-2-471 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Volk SM, Chen R, Tsetsarkin KA, et al. . Genome-scale phylogenetic analyses of chikungunya virus reveal independent emergences of recent epidemics and various evolutionary rates. J Virol. 2010;84(13):6497–6504.10.1128/JVI.01603-09 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources