New study suggests that Chikungunya virus appeared in Brazil at least one year earlier than public health surveillance systems detected it. The findings of the study are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Blood samples collected at the Institute Nacional de Infectologia in Rio de Janeiro between March 2016 and June 2017 were analyzed using a genetic test, the QuantiTect/QuantiNova Prove RT-PCR Kit.
Chikungunya
Chikungunya is a viral disease spread by mosquito bites; it causes fever, severe joint pain and rash on the body. Chikungunya occurs in Africa, Asia and the Indian sub continent.
Advertisement
‘New evidence suggests that Chikungunya virus could have circulated as early as 2012 and was most likely imported from Central Africa. But, public health surveillance systems first reported chikungunya virus in 2014.’
Read More..
Tweet it Now
Read More..
The test identified 40 samples positive for Chikungunya virus and negative for Dengue virus and Zika virus. Researchers then retested these samples using the CII-ArboViroPlex, a multiplex test developed by CII that can simultaneously scan for the presence of Zika virus, all serotypes of dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and West Nile virus. The CII test confirmed the earlier testing, but performed with greater sensitivity, suggesting it could identify the virus when other tests could not.
Fourteen of these samples representing dates across the fifteen-month collection period were further analyzed using VirCapSeq-VERT, a method developed at CII for viral diagnosis, surveillance, and discovery. VirCapSeq-VERT enabled recovery of near-complete viral genomic sequences and identification of the viruses as representatives of the East-Central-South-African genotype of chikungunya virus.
![New Chikungunya Vaccine May Enter Markets Soon]( "New Chikungunya Vaccine May Enter Markets Soon")
Chikungunya may soon be conquered by a new vaccine. The experimental drug is entering clinical trials and may soon be marketed.
An analysis of the fourteen genomic sequences showed a strong correlation between genetic divergence and the date at which the sample was taken. This allowed the researchers to identify a "molecular clock" based on the pace of mutations between samples. The timing suggested the virus could have circulated as early as 2012 and was likely imported from Central Africa. Chikungunya virus was first reported by public health surveillance systems in 2014.
"With heightened concerns around Zika, more Brazilians were tested for the infection," says Nischay Mishra, Ph.D., the study's leader at CII.
"At the same time, many of those tested were actually infected with dengue or chikungunya, which present with similar symptoms."
"This study demonstrates the value of sensitive diagnostic technologies that can differentiate between these infectious diseases and provide insights into the origins of the chikungunya outbreak in Brazil," says first author Thiago Moreno L. Souza, a professor of biochemistry at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Source: Eurekalert
New Chikungunya Vaccine May Enter Markets Soon
Chikungunya may soon be conquered by a new vaccine. The experimental drug is entering clinical trials and may soon be marketed.
Advertisement
An analysis of the fourteen genomic sequences showed a strong correlation between genetic divergence and the date at which the sample was taken. This allowed the researchers to identify a "molecular clock" based on the pace of mutations between samples. The timing suggested the virus could have circulated as early as 2012 and was likely imported from Central Africa. Chikungunya virus was first reported by public health surveillance systems in 2014.
"With heightened concerns around Zika, more Brazilians were tested for the infection," says Nischay Mishra, Ph.D., the study's leader at CII.
"At the same time, many of those tested were actually infected with dengue or chikungunya, which present with similar symptoms."
"This study demonstrates the value of sensitive diagnostic technologies that can differentiate between these infectious diseases and provide insights into the origins of the chikungunya outbreak in Brazil," says first author Thiago Moreno L. Souza, a professor of biochemistry at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Source: Eurekalert
Novel Vaccine Shows Promise against Chikungunya Virus
Novel vaccine which is genetically modified, promises to be safe and effective against the chikungunya virus.
Advertisement
Antibodies are Being Developed to Defeat Ae.aegypti - the Chikungunya VirusUsing antibodies and body's natural immune defense may be more effective in treating the infection than developing synthetic drug, which has higher failure rate. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
