Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a member of the Alphavirus genus, is an important human emerging/re-emerging pathogen. Currently, there are no effective antiviral drugs or vaccines against CHIKV infection. Herein, we construct an infectious clone of CHIKV and an eGFP reporter CHIKV (eGFP-CHIKV) with an isolated strain (assigned to Asian lineage) from CHIKV-infected patients. The eGFP-CHIKV reporter virus allows for direct visualization of viral replication through the levels of eGFP expression. Using a known CHIKV inhibitor, ribavirin, we confirmed that the eGFP-CHIKV reporter virus could be used to identify inhibitors against CHIKV. Importantly, we developed a novel and reliable eGFP-CHIKV reporter virus-based neutralization assay that could be used for rapid screening neutralizing antibodies against CHIKV.
Highlights
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an important mosquito-borne virus that belongs to the genusAlphavirus, family Togaviridae
The viral complete genome sequencing and the phylogenetic analysis indicated that this newly isolated strain belonged to the Asian lineage of CHIKV
The numbers are the nucleotide positions genome sequences we identified in this study (KC488650); (b) of viral protein expression based on the CHIKV genome sequences we identified in this study (KC488650); (b) Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) of viral in BHK-21 cells transfected with the full-length CHIKV RNA transcript
Summary
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an important mosquito-borne virus that belongs to the genusAlphavirus, family Togaviridae. The complete viral genome consists of a linear, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA around 12 kilobases (Kb) [1,2]. CHIKV mainly causes abrupt high fever, headache, rashes, myalgia, and arthralgia [3,4], and occasionally the arthritis may last for months or years. It is historically regarded as a none life-threatening pathogen [5], the large outbreak of CHIKV on the Island of La Réunion in 2005 indicated that the virus may have become more virulent for humans [6].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call