Chikugunya Virus

A presentasion by:-
Roll no. 14,1
Content:-
• Introduction
• History
• Morphology
• Symptoms
• Virological aspects
• Pathogenesis
• Diagnosis
• Epidemiology
• Treatment
Introduction
• The Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne
virus.
• It is transmitted by the Aedes Mosquito.
• It was mostly perceived as a benign acute painful fever,
and commonly mistaken for dengue.
• It is responsible for the acute and chronic articular
manifestations.
• The intensity of the pain and handicap gave the disease
its name “chikungunya” meaning “that which bends up”
in Makonde language.
Mosquito = Bad
(Aedes Aegypti)
History
• First discovered in Tanzania in 1952, from a patient
during a dengue-like epidemic.
• It was responsible for widespread outbreak in Asia and
Africa in the 1960s to the 1980 its global emergence
started in 2004
• A major outbreak first spread to most islands in the
Indian ocean in 2005-2006. CHIKV spread progressively
to Asia affecting India since 2006 and successively most
of the countries in the region
Morphology:-
• Spherical enveloped virus
• Generally 70 nm in diameter.
• E1 and E2 glycoproteins form
heterodimers which form
spikes on the surface.
• Nucleocapsid core 35nm in diameter, composed of
C-protein along with the viral genome.
• The viral spike protrusions facilitate attachment to cell
surfaces viral entry into the cell.
Symptoms
Virological Aspects

• Genus - Alpha Virus

• Family – Togaviridae
• An enveloped positive strand RNA virus
• Genetic lineage – i)West African Cluster
ii)ECSA Cluster
iii)Asian cluster
• To date, no difference in virulence in the
different strains of CHIKV has been shown in
humans.
Pathogenesis
• At the early stages of infection targeted organs
are CHIKV replication are lymphoid tissues,
liver, CNS, joints and muscles.
• The persistence of CHIKV can be found later in
lymphoid organs, liver, joints and muscles,
macrophages being the main reservoir.
• In humans acute CHIKV infections is
characterised by very early virema at fever onset
that can increase up to 109 to 1012 RNA copies
and lasts up to 12 days .
Continued
• In Vitro studies showed that human epithelial
and endothelial cells, primary fibroblasts, and
monocyte-derived macrophages are susceptible
to CHIKV infections, whereas activated B and T
CD4+ lymphocytes, monocytes and monocyte-
derived dendritic cells were refractory to CHIKV
infection
Laboratory Diagnosis
• Anti-CHIKV IgM and IgG on blood samples.
• Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain
reactions(RT-PCR) on various fluids and tissues,
including corneas or other graft tissues
• Enzyme immunoassay
• Immunofluorcence assays.
 Infection

It is a 2 stage disease
i)Acute stage
ii)Chronic stage
Acute stage
• The first 10 days after the onset is defines as the
acute stage.
• Onset
Usually 2 to 6 days after the infective mosquito
bite, start abruptly and last for about a week
before spontaneous improvement.
• Improvement
After a week patients experience a significant
improvement in their condition. Lasts for 1 to 2
weeks before a common relapse .
Synptoms of Acute Stage
• Fever
usually high and is poorly responsive to
antipyretics.
• Swollen and painful joints.
• Back pain.
• Headaches .
• Maculopapular rash.
• Mouth ulcers.
• Nausea and vomitting.
• Fatigue.
Chronic stage
Within the first months, the life of patients
infected with CHIKV impaired by-
• Early exacerbation .
• Inflammatory relapses, often triggered after
exposure to cold.
• Long-lasting rheumatism.
• A significant loss in the quality of life.
• Ocular changes.
Epidemiology
• The A226V-CHIKV is highly efficient at
spreading through human populations in
tropical and temperate countries when colonized
by Ae albopictus.
• Within the past 6 years this global profile has
been responsible for 2 million cases, mostly in
outbreaks in the Indian ocean, India and south-
east Asia but also in Africa whereas only a few
cases were reported in Europe.
Treatment
• No antiviral drug has proved effective against
human CHIKV infection.
• Treatment is aimed at relieving the symptoms.
• The treatment of the acute stage is limited to
painkillers and non-steroid anti-inflammatory
drugs.
• Acetaminophen is the elective drug
• Aspirin should be avoided because of the risk of
bleeding.
• Systemic corticoids are not recommended due to
the strong rebound effect after stopping.
Bibliography
• Currently Infectious Disease Reports (2011)
• Antiviral Research
• Shubash Chandra Parija
• The internet