Chikungunda

8 important questions on Chikungunda

What kind of virus is the chikungunda virus?

  • Enveloped positive sense RNA virus
  • Glycoproteins with E1/E2 trimer
  • Infusion mechanism with the envelop
  • Infects mosquitoes and humans/vertebrate animals: evolutionary can keep matching in both hosts
  • Infection in the mosquito is life-long (doesnt kill it)
  • In human: arthritic symptoms => pain in the joints

What is the natural vertebrate host?

Different types of monkey (mainly form Africa)

What are the symptoms of chikungunya?

  • Rash
  • Headache
  • Swelling
  • Joint pain
  • Muscle pain

Most people feel better within a week. In others the pain stays for months.
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Where does the virus replicate?

  • Midgut
  • Salvia glands
  • Ovaries
  • Wings/legs of the mosquitoes

How can the virus replicate and survive in the human skin cells?

When the virus first replicates in skin fibroblasts, melanocytes, keratinocytes. Then the saliva glands makes factors that inhibit the immune system to attack the virus. So the virus can freely go into the lymph nodes.

What is the pathogenesis of chikungunya in human?

  • So virus is inside. Goes into dendritic cells (langerhans). Macrophagen (monocyten) replication.
  • Lymphe nodes => dendritic cells present this to the T-cells
  • Blood => viremia (sufficient amount for onward transmission by a mosquito bite)
  • Liver, Spleen
  • Muscle
Inflammation of the joints => recruitment of inflammatory cells.
Chronic arthritis => autoimmunity (cross reactivity => trigger to get it earlier?)

Where does chikungunya circulate?

Africa and Asia

Where does the virus spread towards?

1950: isolated in blood
- Joint pain and fever
1985: China
Viremic travellers brought it to new areas

  • Spreading to Indian ocean region. (India etc)


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