ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The recent emergence of Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) in the Americas constitutes a major public health problem on this continent, where the mosquito vector is widespread. The rapid diagnosis of suspected cases is essential for the monitoring and control of this ongoing outbreak. However, this requires reliable tools that are difficult to establish in areas without specialized laboratories. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to evaluate the performances of serum samples spotted onto filter paper for molecular and serological diagnosis of Chikungunya infection. STUDY DESIGN: Analyses were performed from frozen sera and serum spotted onto filter paper provided from 121 Chikungunya suspected cases collected at a biological laboratory on Saint-Martin Island. RESULTS: This approach performed well in comparisons with standard methods, with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93.6% for the combined technical approaches (RT-PCR and serological results). Comparisons of serum samples spotted onto filter paper and frozen samples showed a concordance rate of 94.8% in molecular tests and 98.2% in serological tests. CONCLUSIONS: This simple sampling technique could overcome the problems of the lack of efficient CHIKV diagnosis tools in remote regions, providing good results regardless of the molecular or serological approach used. This simple filter paper-based method can be used to diagnose both chikungunya and dengue infections, as previously demonstrated following transport at ambient temperature to specialized laboratories. Given the set-up costs and high performance of this method, it could be recommended for the monitoring and control of Chikungunya virus expansion in the Americas and in other affected regions.
Subject(s)
Chikungunya Fever/diagnosis , Desiccation , Serum/virology , Specimen Handling/methods , Americas , Humans , Molecular Diagnostic Techniques/methods , Paper , Sensitivity and Specificity , Serologic Tests/methodsABSTRACT
This study reports the first isolation and partial genetic characterization of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) from patients during a 2006-2007 dengue-like syndrome outbreak in Gabon. The isolated viruses were phylogenetically close to strains isolated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 7 years ago and to strains isolated more recently in Cameroon. These results indicate a continuing circulation of a genetically stable CHIKV population during 7 years in Central Africa.
Subject(s)
Alphavirus Infections/epidemiology , Alphavirus Infections/virology , Chikungunya virus/isolation & purification , Adolescent , Adult , Alphavirus Infections/diagnosis , Chikungunya virus/classification , Chikungunya virus/genetics , Child , Disease Outbreaks , Female , Gabon/epidemiology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , PhylogenyABSTRACT
We report the isolation of chikungunya virus from a patient during an outbreak of a denguelike syndrome in Cameroon in 2006. The virus was phylogenetically grouped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo cluster, indicating a continuous circulation of a genetically similar chikungunya virus population during 6 years in Central Africa.