Chikungunya Virus: Current Perspectives on a Reemerging Virus

Clayton R Morrison1, Kenneth S Plante1, Mark T Heise1

  • 1Department of Genetics, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.

Microbiology Spectrum
|June 24, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes severe joint pain and has spread beyond its original regions in Africa and Asia. Recent outbreaks in the Indian Ocean and Americas show CHIKV's ability to reach new areas quickly. The virus can cause long-term joint pain, affecting quality of life for months or years. This review summarizes CHIKV's biology, how it spreads, and current efforts to develop treatments and vaccines. The authors suggest that understanding CHIKV's pathogenesis is crucial for developing prevention strategies. No prior work had fully addressed CHIKV's global impact. The study emphasizes the need for continued research and public health adaptation to manage CHIKV outbreaks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Concept Videos

Arboviral Encephalitis01:25

Arboviral Encephalitis

Arboviral encephalitis refers to brain inflammation caused by arthropod-borne viruses, particularly those transmitted through mosquito vectors. Among these, West Nile virus (WNV), a member of the Flaviviridae family, is a significant public health concern. WNV is an enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus. Human infection typically begins when an infected mosquito introduces the virus into the dermis during feeding. The primary transmission cycle involves birds as amplifying hosts...
1
Viral Recombination00:57

Viral Recombination

Cells are sometimes infected by more than one virus at once. When two viruses disassemble to expose their genomes for replication in the same cell, similar regions of their genomes can pair together and exchange sequences in a process called recombination. Alternatively, viruses with segmented genomes can swap segments in a process called reassortment.
25.5K
Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence01:28

Infectious Diseases and Their Occurrence

Infectious diseases appear in populations through various transmission patterns, influenced by pathogen characteristics, population immunity, environmental conditions, and social behavior. Understanding these patterns is essential for effective public health surveillance and intervention. These categories—sporadic, outbreak, epidemic, pandemic, and endemic—help frame the nature and scope of disease events.Sporadic diseases occur irregularly and infrequently, without a predictable...
25
Viral Mutations00:36

Viral Mutations

A mutation is a change in the sequence of bases of DNA or RNA in a genome. Some mutations occur during replication of the genome due to errors made by the polymerase enzymes that replicate DNA or RNA. Unlike DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase is prone to errors because it is not capable of “proofreading” its work. Viruses with RNA-based genomes, like HIV, therefore accrue mutations faster than viruses with DNA-based genomes. Because mutation and recombination provide the raw material...
40.6K