Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus, is recurring in epidemic waves. In the past decade and a half, the disease has resurged in several countries around the globe, with outbreaks becoming increasingly severe. Though CHIKV was first isolated in 1952, there remain significant gaps in knowledge of CHIKV biology, pathogenesis, transmission, and mechanism. Diagnosis is largely simplified and based on symptoms, while treatment is supportive rather than curative. Here we present an overview of the disease, the challenges that lie ahead for future research, and what directions current studies are headed towards, with emphasis on improvement of current animal models and potential use of 3D models.
Highlights
CHIVK is closely related to several other alphaviruses, including Ross River virus, Barmah Forest virus, o’nyong-nyong virus, the Sindbis group of viruses, and the Mayaro virus, all of which are known to cause arthritis [4]
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) establishment in the Americas was followed by a sharp increase in travel-related Chikungunya fever (CHIKF)
Though it can appear similar to dengue fever and Zika, CHIKF is indicated by several characteristic symptoms
Summary
Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease endemic to tropical regions, has emerged as an epidemic threat over the past 15 years. It infects over one million people per year and causes debilitating joint pain [1]. The disease was marked by long gaps of inactivity interspersed with sudden outbreaks [11], though this characterization has been disputed [12] It was not until the late 1990s and early 2000s that CHIKV began to re-emerge on a global scale. The outbreak occurred after a 32-year gap of epidemic CHIKV in the region and eventually affected 1.3 million people [15]. CHIKV establishment in the Americas was followed by a sharp increase in travel-related CHIKF with upwards of 1600 passengers coming to the US with CHIKF in the year following its emergence, compared to a previous average of 28
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