Displaying publications 21 - 40 of 58 in total

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  1. Fulltext A respite from chikungunya for now
    Lim KG
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Dec;65(4):255.
    PMID: 21901939
    In the last four years, Malaysia has had three outbreaks of chikungunya virus infection. The first two occurred in Perak in 2006.The third began in Johor in early 2008. The genome of the viruses suggests that on each occasion a different virus was introduced into the population. The first outbreak in Bagan Panchor was due to an Asian genotype virus. The second in the Kinta district of Perak in late 2006 was due to a Central/East African genotype virus. Contact tracing was even able to discover the patient who was the source of the virus from the Indian subcontinent. The third outbreak in Johor was also of a Central/East African strain of virus, but introduced independently. The epidemiology of that outbreak is described in this issue of the MJM.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  2. Fulltext A fatal case of chikungunya virus infection with liver involvement
    Chua HH, Abdul Rashid K, Law WC, Hamizah A, Chem YK, Khairul AH, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Mar;65(1):83-4.
    PMID: 21265260 MyJurnal
    Recovery from chikungunya is previously considered universal and mortality due to the virus is rare and unusual. Findings from recent chikungunya outbreaks occurred in Reunion Island and India have since challenged the conventional view on the benign nature of the illness. Malaysia has experienced at least of 4 outbreaks of chikungunya since 1998. In the present on-going large outbreak due to chikungunya virus of Central/East African genotype, a previous healthy sixty six years gentleman without co-morbidity was noted to have severe systemic infection by the virus and involvement of his liver. He subsequently passed away due to cardiovascular collapse after 5 days of illness.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  3. Fulltext Chikungunya and alternative treatment from natural products: a review
    Syuhadaratul Aini Mohamat, Nor Fazila Che Mat, Najmo Ibrahim Barkhadle2, Tuan Nur Akmalina Mat Jusoh, Rafidah Hanim Shueb
    Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2020;16(1):304-311.
    MyJurnal
    Chikungunya is an infection caused by chikungunya virus which at present has spread to new countries and con- tinents. Chikungunya is associated with self-limiting and non-fatal infection in the past. However, in recent times, increased severity of the disease has been reported resulting in health and economic burden. The threat and bur- den of chikungunya would grow in future in the absence of specific antiviral or vaccine to control or eliminate the infection. This review discusses chikungunya in general including transmission of its etiological agent and clinical manifestations of the disease. Subsequently, management and treatment of chikungunya virus will be reviewed with particular emphasis on natural products or their active compounds with potential anti-chikungunya virus activities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  4. Diagnosis of chikungunya virus infection in Baja California Sur, Mexico
    Moreno-Legorreta M, Tozar-Zamora I, Serrano-Pinto V
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Sep 01;37(3):722-729.
    PMID: 33612785 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.3.722
    Chikungunya virus infection had not been reported by the National Secretary of Health of the State of Baja California Sur, Mexico before 2015, and until now, no information of the disease has been published. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the tendency that the disease has shown since its introduction. The total number of cases in the state was analyzed, and the incidence rate of infection was evaluated in the general population, age groups, and gender. From 2015-2019, the year with the highest number of reported cases was 2016 with 210 cases, but no cases were reported from 2018-2019. The gender with the highest number of cases was female. The most affected age group was adults 45-64 years of age.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  5. Fulltext The impact of preventive fogging on entomological parameters in a university campus in Malaysia
    Ruhil Amal, A., Malina, O., Ngah Zasmy, U., Wan Omar, A., Norhafizah, M., Rukman, A.H.
    Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 2011;7(1):-.
    MyJurnal
    Preventive fogging is defined as space spraying of insecticide against mosquitoes in order to prevent outbreak of mosquito borne infection. Despite provision of various preventive andcontrol activities against dengue and chikungunya infection by Ministry of Health Guideline, the detail on preventive fogging has not yet specified. However, this has been adopted by certain institutions as part of the routine strategies against dengue outbreak. A study on preventive fogging was conducted in one of the hostels in Universiti Putra Malaysia. The research was done for 16 weeks in which one routine fogging activity was done at the mid period of study. The main objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of preventive fogging activities against Aedes mosquitoes and to identify the distribution and abundance of Aedes mosquitoes in the area. Method: The fogging activity was carried out by the management staff as part of their preventive measures in the student hostels. Ovitrap was used as an indicator to monitor the impact of fogging activity and its continuous surveillance was monitored weekly. The ovitraps were placed indoors and outdoors. Species identification was carried out in the laboratory. The SPSS program was used to analyse the statistical data on the effectiveness of fogging activity. Larval count (indoors and outdoors) and ovitrap index (OI) readings were identified as ovitrap surveillance data for statistical analysis. Results: The results showed that Aedes albopictus was the only species of the genus Aedes found in this hostel. The area had been highly infested by Ae. Albopictus as indicated by high Ovitrap Index ranging between 48.33% to 90.00%. The mean (SD) of Ovitrap Index was reduced from 71.67% (12.73%) (before the preventive fogging), to 69.42% (14.40%) (after the fogging). Overall reduction in mosquito and larval density was also observed between pre and post fogging activity in this study. Conclusion: The implementation of preventive fogging has favourably reduced the dengue vector population up to 5 weeks after the introduction of preventive fogging. However, sole dependency on preventive fogging may lead to insecticide resistance. Revisiting the policy on preventive fogging; and identifying it as an additional tool for preventing dengue infection in higher learning institutions are recommended.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  6. Bone breaking infections - A focus on bacterial and mosquito-borne viral infections
    Cui YC, Wu Q, Teh SW, Peli A, Bu G, Qiu YS, et al.
    Microb Pathog, 2018 Sep;122:130-136.
    PMID: 29909241 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2018.06.021
    The recent global resurgence of arthritogenic alphaviruses, including Ross River, chikungunya, and dengue, highlights an urgency for the development of therapeutic strategies. Currently, dengue represents the most rapidly transmitting mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide. By contracting bone breaking diseases, patients experience devastating clinical manifestations involving muscle pain and bone loss. The bone self-repair and regeneration mechanisms can be damaged by the presence of viruses and bacteria. The rapid establishment of dengue epidemic and the severity of bacterial and viral infections affecting the bone stress the urgent need of developing effective interventions. Herein, we review current knowledge on bone breaking infections, covering both bacterial and mosquito-borne viral ones. The mechanisms exploited by these diseases to significantly affect the bone, including interferences with self-repair and regeneration routes, were discussed. In the final section, challenges for future research aimed to treat and prevent bacterial and mosquito-borne bone-breaking infections have been outlined.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  7. New approach to calculate the denominator for the relative risk equation
    Nor Azah Samat, Syafiqah Husna Mohd Imam Ma’arof
    Sains Malaysiana, 2016;45:1741-1745.
    Disease frequency is used to measure the situation of the disease with reference to the population size and time period
    which is in a fractional form. The lower part of the fraction, known as denominator is the important part as it was used
    to calculate a rate or ratio. Since the disease frequency is based on a ratio estimator, the results are highly dependent
    upon the value of denominator. Therefore, the main aim of this paper was to propose a new method in calculating the
    denominator for the relative risk equation with the application to chikungunya disease data from Malaysia. The new
    method of calculating the denominator of the relative risk equation includes the use of discrete time-space stochastic
    SIR-SI (susceptible-infective-recovered for human population and susceptible-infective for vector population) disease
    transmission model instead of the total disease counts. The results of the analysis showed that the estimation of expected
    disease counts based on total posterior means can overcome the problem of expected counts estimation based on the total
    number of disease especially when there is no observed disease count in certain regions. The proposed new approach to
    calculate the denominator for the relative risk equation is suitable for the case of rare disease in which it offers a better
    method of expected disease counts estimation.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  8. Fulltext Susceptibility of Aedes albopictus, Ae. aegypti and human populations to Ross River virus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
    Fu JYL, Chua CL, Abu Bakar AS, Vythilingam I, Wan Sulaiman WY, Alphey L, et al.
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2023 Jun;17(6):e0011423.
    PMID: 37307291 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011423
    BACKGROUND: Emerging arboviruses such as chikungunya and Zika viruses have unexpectedly caused widespread outbreaks in tropical and subtropical regions recently. Ross River virus (RRV) is endemic in Australia and has epidemic potential. In Malaysia, Aedes mosquitoes are abundant and drive dengue and chikungunya outbreaks. We assessed risk of an RRV outbreak in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by determining vector competence of local Aedes mosquitoes and local seroprevalence as a proxy of human population susceptibility.

    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We assessed oral susceptibility of Malaysian Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus by real-time PCR to an Australian RRV strain SW2089. Replication kinetics in midgut, head and saliva were determined at 3 and 10 days post-infection (dpi). With a 3 log10 PFU/ml blood meal, infection rate was higher in Ae. albopictus (60%) than Ae. aegypti (15%; p<0.05). Despite similar infection rates at 5 and 7 log10 PFU/ml blood meals, Ae. albopictus had significantly higher viral loads and required a significantly lower median oral infectious dose (2.7 log10 PFU/ml) than Ae. aegypti (4.2 log10 PFU/ml). Ae. albopictus showed higher vector competence, with higher viral loads in heads and saliva, and higher transmission rate (RRV present in saliva) of 100% at 10 dpi, than Ae. aegypti (41%). Ae. aegypti demonstrated greater barriers at either midgut escape or salivary gland infection, and salivary gland escape. We then assessed seropositivity against RRV among 240 Kuala Lumpur inpatients using plaque reduction neutralization, and found a low rate of 0.8%.

    CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus are susceptible to RRV, but Ae. albopictus displays greater vector competence. Extensive travel links with Australia, abundant Aedes vectors, and low population immunity places Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at risk of an imported RRV outbreak. Surveillance and increased diagnostic awareness and capacity are imperative to prevent establishment of new arboviruses in Malaysia.

    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever*
  9. Zika Virus Infection: Current Concerns and Perspectives
    Maharajan MK, Ranjan A, Chu JF, Foo WL, Chai ZX, Lau EY, et al.
    Clin Rev Allergy Immunol, 2016 Dec;51(3):383-394.
    PMID: 27236440
    The Zika virus outbreaks highlight the growing importance need for a reliable, specific and rapid diagnostic device to detect Zika virus, as it is often recognized as a mild disease without being identified. Many Zika virus infection cases have been misdiagnosed or underreported because of the non-specific clinical presentation. The aim of this review was to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of the published peer-reviewed evidence related to clinical presentations, various diagnostic methods and modes of transmission of Zika virus infection, as well as potential therapeutic targets to combat microcephaly. Zika virus is mainly transmitted through bites from Aedes aegypti mosquito. It can also be transmitted through blood, perinatally and sexually. Pregnant women are advised to postpone or avoid travelling to areas where active Zika virus transmission is reported, as this infection is directly linked to foetal microcephaly. Due to the high prevalence of Guillain-Barre syndrome and microcephaly in the endemic area, it is vital to confirm the diagnosis of Zika virus. Zika virus infection had been declared as a public health emergency and of international concern by the World Health Organisation. Governments and agencies should play an important role in terms of investing time and resources to fundamentally understand this infection so that a vaccine can be developed besides raising awareness.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever/diagnosis; Chikungunya Fever/virology
  10. Fulltext A combination of doxycycline and ribavirin alleviated chikungunya infection
    Rothan HA, Bahrani H, Mohamed Z, Teoh TC, Shankar EM, Rahman NA, et al.
    PLoS One, 2015;10(5):e0126360.
    PMID: 25970853 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126360
    Lack of vaccine and effective antiviral drugs against chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreaks have led to significant impact on health care in the developing world. Here, we evaluated the antiviral effects of tetracycline (TETRA) derivatives and other common antiviral agents against CHIKV. Our results showed that within the TETRA derivatives group, Doxycycline (DOXY) exhibited the highest inhibitory effect against CHIKV replication in Vero cells. On the other hand, in the antiviral group Ribavirin (RIBA) showed higher inhibitory effects against CHIKV replication compared to Aciclovir (ACIC). Interestingly, RIBA inhibitory effects were also higher than all but DOXY within the TETRA derivatives group. Docking studies of DOXY to viral cysteine protease and E2 envelope protein showed non-competitive interaction with docking energy of -6.6±0.1 and -6.4±0.1 kcal/mol respectively. The 50% effective concentration (EC50) of DOXY and RIBA was determined to be 10.95±2.12 μM and 15.51±1.62 μM respectively, while DOXY+RIBA (1:1 combination) showed an EC50 of 4.52±1.42 μM. When compared, DOXY showed higher inhibition of viral infectivity and entry than RIBA. In contrast however, RIBA showed higher inhibition against viral replication in target cells compared to DOXY. Assays using mice as animal models revealed that DOXY+RIBA effectively inhibited CHIKV replication and attenuated its infectivity in vivo. Further experimental and clinical studies are warranted to investigate their potential application for clinical intervention of CHIKV disease.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever/drug therapy*; Chikungunya Fever/virology
  11. Fulltext Antigenic Variation of East/Central/South African and Asian Chikungunya Virus Genotypes in Neutralization by Immune Sera
    Chua CL, Sam IC, Merits A, Chan YF
    PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 2016 08;10(8):e0004960.
    PMID: 27571254 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0004960
    BACKGROUND: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging mosquito-borne virus which causes epidemics of fever, severe joint pain and rash. Between 2005 and 2010, the East/Central/South African (ECSA) genotype was responsible for global explosive outbreaks across India, the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia. From late 2013, Asian genotype CHIKV has caused outbreaks in the Americas. The characteristics of cross-antibody efficacy and epitopes are poorly understood.

    METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We characterized human immune sera collected during two independent outbreaks in Malaysia of the Asian genotype in 2006 and the ECSA genotype in 2008-2010. Neutralizing capacity was analyzed against representative clinical isolates as well as viruses rescued from infectious clones of ECSA and Asian CHIKV. Using whole virus antigen and recombinant E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins, we further investigated antibody binding sites, epitopes, and antibody titers. Both ECSA and Asian sera demonstrated stronger neutralizing capacity against the ECSA genotype, which corresponded to strong epitope-antibody interaction. ECSA serum targeted conformational epitope sites in the E1-E2 glycoprotein, and E1-E211K, E2-I2T, E2-H5N, E2-G118S and E2-S194G are key amino acids that enhance cross-neutralizing efficacy. As for Asian serum, the antibodies targeting E2 glycoprotein correlated with neutralizing efficacy, and I2T, H5N, G118S and S194G altered and improved the neutralization profile. Rabbit polyclonal antibody against the N-terminal linear neutralizing epitope from the ECSA sequence has reduced binding capacity and neutralization efficacy against Asian CHIKV. These findings imply that the choice of vaccine strain may impact cross-protection against different genotypes.

    CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Immune serum from humans infected with CHIKV of either ECSA or Asian genotypes showed differences in binding and neutralization characteristics. These findings have implications for the continued outbreaks of co-circulating CHIKV genotypes and effective design of vaccines and diagnostic serological assays.

    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever/immunology; Chikungunya Fever/epidemiology
  12. Deciphering the potential of baicalin as an antiviral agent for Chikungunya virus infection
    Oo A, Rausalu K, Merits A, Higgs S, Vanlandingham D, Bakar SA, et al.
    Antiviral Res, 2018 02;150:101-111.
    PMID: 29269135 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.12.012
    The past decade has seen the re-emergence of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as a major global health threat, affecting millions around the world. Although fatal infections are rare among infected patients, the occurrence of long-lasting polyarthralgia has a significant impact on patients' quality of lives and ability to work. These issues were the stimuli for this study to determine the potential of baicalin, a bioflavonoid, as the novel antiviral compound against CHIKV. It was found that baicalin was well tolerated by Vero, BHK-21 and HEK 293T cells with maximal nontoxic doses >600 μM, ≈ 350 μM and ≈110 μM, respectively. Antiviral assays indicated that baicalin was the most effective inhibitor when tested for its direct virucidal activity with EC50 ≈ 7 μM, followed by inhibition of virus entry into the host cell, attachment of virus particle to cellular receptors and finally intracellular replication of viral RNA genome. In silico analysis using molecular docking demonstrated close interactions between baicalin and CHIKV envelope protein with considerably strong binding affinity of -9.7 kcal/mol. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that baicalin had the greatest effect on the synthesis of viral negative stand RNA with EC50 ≈ 0.4 μM followed by the inhibition of synthesis of positive-strand genomic (EC50 ≈ 13 μM) and subgenomic RNAs (EC50 ≈ 14 μM). These readings indicate that the compound efficiently inhibits replicase complexes formation but is a less potent inhibitor of existing replicase complexes. Coherent with this hypothesis, the use of recombinant CHIKV replicons harboring Renilla luciferase marker showed that replication of corresponding replicon RNAs was only slightly downregulated at higher doses of baicalin, with EC50 > 100 μM. Immunofluorescence and western blotting experiments demonstrated dose-dependent inhibition of expression of different viral proteins. It was also observed that levels of important protein markers for cellular autophagy (LC3) and apoptosis (Bax) were reduced in baicalin treatment groups as compared with untreated virus infected controls. In summary, given its low toxicity and high efficacy against CHIKV, baicalin has great potential to be developed as the novel antiviral compound for CHIKV. In vivo studies to evaluate its activity in a more complexed system represent a necessary step for future analysis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever/drug therapy; Chikungunya Fever/virology*
  13. Fulltext Differential proteome analysis of chikungunya virus infection on host cells
    Thio CL, Yusof R, Abdul-Rahman PS, Karsani SA
    PLoS One, 2013;8(4):e61444.
    PMID: 23593481 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0061444
    Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne alphavirus that has caused multiple unprecedented and re-emerging outbreaks in both tropical and temperate countries. Despite ongoing research efforts, the underlying factors involved in facilitating CHIKV replication during early infection remains ill-characterized. The present study serves to identify host proteins modulated in response to early CHIKV infection using a proteomics approach.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  14. Fulltext Epidemiology of chikungunya in Malaysia: 2006-2009
    Chua KB
    Med J Malaysia, 2010 Dec;65(4):277-82.
    PMID: 21901945 MyJurnal
    This is a retrospective cross-sectional study based on the database of clusters of patients with clinical diagnosis of chikungunya (CHIK) that were referred to the National Public Health Laboratory for diagnostic investigations from January 2006 to December 2009. Of the 13,759 referred patients, a total of 6314 (45.9%) patients were laboratory confirmed to have CHIK and 7445 (54.1) patients were considered as clinical cases of CHIK by epidemiological link. Epidemic curves plotted using date of onset of illness for all referred clusters of cases showed that there were three unrelated outbreaks of CHIK in Malaysia from 2006 to 2009. There were two small outbreaks that occurred within the state of Perak in 2006. The cluster of cases in 2008 and 2009 were of related outbreak which started in Johor state and subsequently spread to various parts of Malaysia. The mean age of the patients was 37.0 years old and those patients in the laboratory confirmed group were significantly younger than those in the epidemiological linked group. The main presenting clinical features recorded in this study were fever, arthralgia, myalgia and rashes. Those patients in the laboratory confirmed group had a significant higher incidence of fever, arthralgia and rash than those in the epidemiological linked group.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  15. Fulltext Clinical Symptoms of Arboviruses in Mexico
    Ananth S, Shrestha N, Treviño C JA, Nguyen US, Haque U, Angulo-Molina A, et al.
    Pathogens, 2020 Nov 19;9(11).
    PMID: 33228120 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9110964
    Arboviruses such as Chikungunya (CHIKV), Dengue (DENV), and Zika virus (ZIKV) have emerged as a significant public health concern in Mexico. The existing literature lacks evidence regarding the dispersion of arboviruses, thereby limiting public health policy's ability to integrate the diagnosis, management, and prevention. This study seeks to reveal the clinical symptoms of CHIK, DENV, and ZIKV by age group, region, sex, and time across Mexico. The confirmed cases of CHIKV, DENV, and ZIKV were compiled from January 2012 to March 2020. Demographic characteristics analyzed significant clinical symptoms of confirmed cases. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the association between clinical symptoms and geographical regions. Females and individuals aged 15 and older had higher rates of reported significant symptoms across all three arboviruses. DENV showed a temporal variation of symptoms by regions 3 and 5, whereas ZIKV presented temporal variables in regions 2 and 4. This study revealed unique and overlapping symptoms between CHIKV, DENV, and ZIKV. However, the differentiation of CHIKV, DENV, and ZIKV is difficult, and diagnostic facilities are not available in rural areas. There is a need for adequately trained healthcare staff alongside well-equipped lab facilities, including hematological tests and imaging facilities.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  16. Fulltext Co-breeding Association of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Relation to Location and Container Size
    Hashim NA, Ahmad AH, Talib A, Athaillah F, Krishnan KT
    Trop Life Sci Res, 2018 Mar;29(1):213-227.
    PMID: 29644025 MyJurnal DOI: 10.21315/tlsr2018.29.1.14
    The occurrence of major outbreaks of dengue, and other vector borne diseases such as chikungunya and zika in tropical and subtropical regions has rendered control of the diseases a top-priority for many affected countries including Malaysia. Control of the mosquito vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus through the reduction of breeding sites and the application of insecticides to kill immature forms and adults are the main control efforts to combat these diseases. The present study describes the association between Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti in shared breeding sites. This study is important given that any measure taken against one species may affect the other. A yearlong larval survey was conducted in four dengue endemic areas of Penang Island. Sorenson's coefficient index indicated that no association between number of the immatures of the two species regardless of container size and study location. Therefore, the mean number Ae. albopictus immature was not decreased in the presence of Ae. aegypti in shared breeding container. However Ae. aegypti appeared to prefer breeding in habitats not occupied by Ae. albopictus, the two species sharing breeding sites only where available containers were limited. In control efforts, eliminating the preferred breeding containers for one species might not affect or reduce the population of the other species.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  17. Fulltext Expression of recombinant E1 Glycoprotein of Chikungunya virus in Baculovirus expression system
    Sum, Magdline Sia Henry, Andrew, Anna, Maling, Milda Aren
    Journal of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2015;3(1):26-29.
    MyJurnal
    Chikungunya is an acute febrile illness caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV). In this study, the envelope E1 gene of CHIKV was cloned and expressed in a baculovirus system. The recombinant E1 protein with N-term 6-His residues protein was successfully expressed and purified as confirmed by SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis. The seroreactivity of the recombinant protein was evaluated in immunoassay for anti-CHIKV IgM and IgG antibodies. The recombinant antigen showed 69% sensitivity and 100% specificity for anti-CHIKV IgG by dot blot assay. Detection of anti-CHIKV IgM by dot assay showed 79% sensitivity and 100% specificity. No cross reactivity of the antigen was observed with anti-dengue virus serum samples. The results strongly support that the recombinant E1 protein has potential to be used as diagnostic antigen. The used of the antigen in a dot blot assay gives an advantage for laboratory detection without the need of any specialised equipment.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  18. Countries at risk of importation of chikungunya virus cases from Southern Thailand: A modeling study
    Tuite AR, Watts AG, Khan K, Bogoch II
    Infect Dis Model, 2019;4:251-256.
    PMID: 31667444 DOI: 10.1016/j.idm.2019.09.001
    Southern Thailand has been experiencing a large chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak since October 2018. Given the magnitude and duration of the outbreak and its location in a popular tourist destination, we sought to determine international case exportation risk and identify countries at greatest risk of receiving travel-associated imported CHIKV cases. We used a probabilistic model to estimate the expected number of exported cases from Southern Thailand between October 2018 and April 2019. The model incorporated data on CHIKV natural history, infection rates in Southern Thailand, average length of stay for tourists, and international outbound air passenger numbers from the outbreak area. For countries highly connected to Southern Thailand by air travel, we ran 1000 simulations to estimate the expected number of imported cases. We also identified destination countries with conditions suitable for autochthonous CHIKV transmission. Over the outbreak period, we estimated that an average of 125 (95% credible interval (CrI): 102-149) cases would be exported from Southern Thailand to international destinations via air travel. China was projected to receive the most cases (43, 95% CrI: 30-56), followed by Singapore (7, 95% CrI: 2-12) and Malaysia (5, 95% CrI: 1-10). Twenty-three countries were projected to receive at least one imported case, and 64% of these countries had one or more regions that could potentially support autochthonous CHIKV transmission. The overall risk of international exportation of CHIKV cases associated with the outbreak is Southern Thailand is high. Our model projections are consistent with recent reports of CHIKV in travelers returning from the region. Countries should be alert to the possibility of CHIKV infection in returning travelers, particularly in regions where autochthonous transmission is possible.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever
  19. Fulltext Early clearance of Chikungunya virus in children is associated with a strong innate immune response
    Simarmata D, Ng DC, Kam YW, Lee B, Sum MS, Her Z, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2016 05 16;6:26097.
    PMID: 27180811 DOI: 10.1038/srep26097
    Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) is a global infectious disease which can affect a wide range of age groups. The pathological and immunological response upon Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection have been reported over the last few years. However, the clinical profile and immune response upon CHIKV infection in children remain largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the clinical and immunological response, focusing on the cytokine/chemokine profile in a CHIKV-infected pediatric cohort from Sarawak, Malaysia. Unique immune mediators triggered upon CHIKV infection were identified through meta-analysis of the immune signatures between this pediatric group and cohorts from previous outbreaks. The data generated from this study revealed that a broad spectrum of cytokines/chemokines is up-regulated in a sub-group of virus-infected children stratified according to their viremic status during hospitalization. Furthermore, different immune mediator profiles (the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and growth and other factors) were observed between children and adults. This study gives an important insight to understand the immune response of CHIKV infection in children and would aid in the development of better prognostics and clinical management for children.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever/immunology*
  20. Fulltext Pyrethroid resistance in the dengue vector Aedes aegypti in Southeast Asia: present situation and prospects for management
    Amelia-Yap ZH, Chen CD, Sofian-Azirun M, Low VL
    Parasit Vectors, 2018 Jun 04;11(1):332.
    PMID: 29866193 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-018-2899-0
    Human arboviral diseases transmitted by Aedes aegypti such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever remain global public health threats to date. Of these diseases, dengue fever is particularly prevalent in Southeast Asia. Relentless vector control efforts are performed to curtail disease transmissions through which pyrethroid insecticides are broadly used as the first line of defense to control Ae. aegypti, especially in the course of disease outbreaks. Here, we compile the largest contemporary database for susceptibility profiles and underlying mechanisms involved in Ae. aegypti resistant to pyrethroids in Southeast Asia. The extensive use of pyrethroids inevitably elicit different levels of resistance to numerous populations despite the presence of geographical isolation. The most common mechanisms of pyrethroid resistance that have been identified in Ae. aegypti includes mutations in the voltage sensitive sodium channel gene (Vssc gene) and metabolic-mediated insecticide resistance. Aedes aegypti develops resistance to pyrethroids by acquisition of one or several amino acid substitution(s) in this Vssc gene. Enzymes involved in metabolic-mediated detoxification (i.e. monooxygenases, glutathione-S-transferases and esterases) have been reported to be related to pyrethroid resistance but many specific contributory enzymes are not completely studied. An inadequate amount of data from some countries indicates an urgent need for further study to fill the knowledge gaps. Perspectives and future research needs are also discussed.
    Matched MeSH terms: Chikungunya Fever/transmission*
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