Co-infection with Dengue and Chikungunya Viruses

Abstract

Dengue and Chikungunya fever are the arboviral infections that are endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. These two viral infections share common clinical symptoms. These infections are transmitted by a common mosquito vector so these viruses co-circu‐ late in many geographical regions. Various clinical investigations, particularly from India and African countries have documented the dual infection with these viruses. However, the true disease burden of Dengue and Chikungunya dual viral infections is still not known because most of these studies involved a smaller patient group. Therefore, in depth investigations involving larger patient groups are needed to examine the complete pathogenicity and severity of the dual viral infections. The timely diagnosis of the patho‐ gens and correlation of disease severity with mono or dual infections is essential for effec‐ tive patient management. In addition, the detailed molecular and cellular mechanism of co-infection should be investigated to describe a complete picture of the interaction of two viral pathogens in the host cell. Further comprehensive studies of dual infections from the endemic regions will determine the epidemiological and evolutionary pattern of these emerging viruses. This data will also assist in designing and implementation of ef‐ fective control measures.