Com o aumento de casos, especialistas analisam a propagação da Chikungunya nas Américas

Com o número de casos de chikungunya na região das Américas ultrapassando 210 mil nos primeiros meses de 2023, especialistas revisaram, em um webinar nesta semana, métodos para controlar o vetor da doença, fatores que facilitam sua disseminação e suporte aos países para lidar com um número crescente de casos.

Association of Genetic Polymorphisms in DC-SIGN, Toll-Like Receptor 3, and Tumor Necrosis Factor α Genes and the Lewis-Negative Phenotype With Chikungunya Infection and Disease in Nicaragua.

BACKGROUND: Chikungunya infections range from subclinical infection to debilitating arthralgia and to chronic inflammatory rheumatism. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, DC-SIGN (dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule 3-grabbing nonintegrin), Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3, and blood groups have been directly or indirectly implicated in the susceptibility and pathogenesis of chikungunya. METHODS: To test the hypothesis that polymorphisms in genes coding for these molecules determine clinical outcomes of chikungunya infection, a retrospective case-control study was performed in León, Nicaragua. The study included 132 case patients and 132 controls, matched for age, sex and neighborhood. Case patients had clinical symptoms of chikungunya, which was diagnosed by means of polymerase chain reaction. Controls were individuals not reporting abrupt presentation of clinical chikungunya-like symptoms. Polymorphisms were identified by TaqMan single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays. RESULTS: After adjustment for sociodemographic risk factors, chikungunya disease was associated with polymorphism in DC-SIGN and TLR3 genes (odds ratios, 5.2 and 3.3, respectively), and TNF-α with reduced persistent joint pain (0.24). Persistent joint pain was also associated with age, female sex and other comorbid conditions. Most interestingly, the Lewis-negative phenotype was strongly associated with both symptomatic chikungunya and immunoglobulin G seropositivity (odds ratios, 2.7, and 3.3, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study identified polymorphisms in DC-SIGN, TLR3, and TNF-α genes as well as Lewis-negative phenotype as risk factors for chikungunya infection and disease progression.

DZC DIAG: mobile application based on expert system to aid in the diagnosis of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya.

Dengue, Zika, and chikungunya are epidemic diseases transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. These virus infections can be so severe to the point of bringing on mobility and neurological problems, or even death. Expert systems (ES) can be used as tools for the identification of patterns intended to solve problems in the same way as a professional specialist would. This work aimed to develop an ES in the form of an Android application to serve as a supportive tool in the diagnosis of these arboviruses. The goal is to associate the set of symptoms from a patient to a score related to the likelihood of them having these diseases. To make this possible, we implemented a rule-based ES which considers the presence of symptoms itself and the relation between them to associate the case under analysis to others found in the literature. We performed 96 tests (32 for each illness), and our system had a success rate of 96.88%. Resident physicians of a public hospital also analyzed these clinical cases and achieved an average success rate of 72.92%. Comparing the results of the method proposed and errors made by health professionals, we showed an improvement in the effectiveness of clinical diagnoses. Graphical abstract Figure - DZC DIAG Operating Flowchart: the physicians record patients' data and answer a series of questions related to the patient's symptoms; after all the questions, the result is generated by the expert system (score for dengue, Zika, and chikungunya); and it is saved in the same device where the test was done and uploaded online to a FTP.

Hemicerebelitis por chikungunya asociado a estado epiléptico refractario en edad pediátrica / Hemicerebellitis due to chikungunya associated with refractory status epilepticus in the paediatric age

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Dengue, chikungunya, and scrub typhus are important etiologies of non-malarial febrile illness in Rourkela, Odisha, India.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a diagnostic surveillance study to identify Plasmodium, dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Orientia tsutsugamushi infections among febrile patients who underwent triage for malaria in the outpatient department at Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, Odisha, India. METHODS: Febrile patients were enrolled from January 2016-January 2017. Blood smears and small volumes or vacutainers of blood were collected from study participants to carry out diagnostic assays. Malaria was diagnosed using rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), microscopy, and PCR. Dengue, chikungunya, and scrub typhus infections were identified using rapid diagnostic test kits and ELISA. RESULTS: Nine hundred and fifty-four patients were prospectively enrolled in our study. The majority of patients were male (58.4%) and more than 15 years of age (66.4%). All 954 enrollees underwent additional testing for malaria; a subset of enrollees (293/954) that had larger volumes of plasma available was also tested for dengue, chikungunya and scrub typhus by either RDT or ELISA or both tests. Fifty-four of 954 patients (5.7%) were positive for malaria by RDT, or microscopy, or PCR. Seventy-four of 293 patients (25.3%) tested positive for dengue by either RDT or ELISA, and 17 of 293 patients (5.8%) tested positive for chikungunya-specific IgM by either ELISA or RDT. Ten of 287 patients tested (3.5%) were positive for scrub typhus by ELISA specific for scrub typhus IgM. Seventeen patients among 290 (5.9%) with results for ≥3 infections tested positive for more than one infection. Patients with scrub typhus and chikungunya had high rates of co-infection: of the 10 patients positive for scrub typhus, six were positive for dengue (p = 0.009), and five of 17 patients positive for chikungunya (by RDT or ELISA) were also diagnosed with malaria (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Dengue, chikungunya and scrub typhus are important etiologies of non-malarial febrile illness in Rourkela, Odisha, and comorbidity should be considered. Routine febrile illness surveillance is required to accurately establish the prevalence of these infections in this region, to offer timely treatment, and to implement appropriate methods of control.

VECTOS: An Integrated System for Monitoring Risk Factors Associated With Urban Arbovirus Transmission.

In Colombia, as in many Latin American countries, decision making and development of effective strategies for vector control of urban diseases such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya is challenging for local health authorities. The heterogeneity of transmission in urban areas requires an efficient risk-based allocation of resources to control measures. With the objective of strengthening the capacity of local surveillance systems to identify variables that favor urban arboviral transmission, a multidisciplinary research team collaborated with the local Secretary of Health officials of 3 municipalities in Colombia (Giron, Yopal, and Buga), in the design of an integrated information system called VECTOS from 2015 to 2018. Information and communication technologies were used to develop 2 mobile applications to capture entomological and social information, as well as a web-based system for the collection, geo-referencing, and integrated information analysis using free geospatial software. This system facilitates the capture and analysis of epidemiological information from the Colombian national surveillance system (SIVIGILA), periodic entomological surveys-mosquito larvae and pupae in premises and peridomestic breeding sites-and surveys of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) in a spatial and temporal context at the neighborhood level. The data collected in VECTOS are mapped and visualized in graphical reports. The system enables real-time monitoring of weekly epidemiological indicators, entomological indices, and social surveys. Additionally, the system enables risk stratification of neighborhoods, using selected epidemiological, entomological, demographic, and environmental variables. This article describes the VECTOS system and the lessons learned during its development and use. The joint analysis of epidemiological and entomological data within a geographic information system in VECTOS gives better insight to the routinely collected data and identifies the heterogeneity of risk factors between neighborhoods. We expect the system to continue to strengthen vector control programs in evidence-based decision making and in the design and enhanced follow-up of vector control strategies.

Emergence and treatment of chikungunya arthritis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To review the emergence, clinical features, pathogenesis, and treatment of acute chikungunya (CHIK) fever and chronic CHIK arthritis. RECENT FINDINGS: Since 2004, CHIK, an arboviral infection, has spread throughout the world, infecting millions of people. The illness occurs in two phases: an acute viremic infection followed by chronic arthritis. In less developed countries, there are limited resources and effective treatment. For acutely ill CHIK fever patients, management is symptomatic. The treatment of chronic CHIK arthritis should be determined by an understanding of pathogenesis. Is chronic CHIK arthritis a persistent viral infection or a postinfectious inflammatory process? Multiple proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors have been identified in chronic CHIK arthritis. Attempts to isolate CHIK virus from synovial fluid have been unsuccessful. Given pathogenetic similarities (as well as differences) compared with rheumatoid arthritis and the painful, disabling nature of the arthritis, it is not surprising that disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs such as methotrexate have begun to be used. SUMMARY: CHIK infection has emerged with major arthritic epidemics for which evidence-based therapy is limited. But there is an opportunity to improve the treatment of chronic CHIK arthritis and, from this disease, to gain understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of inflammatory arthritis more generally.

Chikungunya Virus Disease among Travelers-United States, 2014-2016.

Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that causes an acute febrile illness with severe polyarthralgia. The first local transmission of chikungunya virus in the Western Hemisphere was reported in December 2013. In the following year, the virus spread throughout much of the Americas and the number of cases among travelers increased substantially. We reviewed the epidemiology of chikungunya virus disease cases reported among U.S. travelers from 2014 to 2016. A total of 3,941 travel-acquired cases were reported from 49 states and the District of Columbia; 3,616 (92%) reported travel to other countries or territories in the Americas; the remaining 8% reported travel to Asia, Africa, or the Western Pacific. The most commonly reported travel destinations were the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Haiti. The largest number of cases (N = 2,780, 71%) had illness onset in 2014, followed by 2015 (N = 913, 23%) and 2016 (N = 248, 6%). Cases occurred in every month, but 70% of case-patients had illness onset from April to September, the months when mosquitoes are most likely to be active in the continental United States. Travel-acquired chikungunya cases will likely continue to occur and present a risk of introduction of the virus to locations in the continental United States. Clinicians and public health officials should be educated about the recognition, diagnosis, management, and timely reporting of chikungunya cases.

Swat Team.

How is Texas coping with the deadly diseases that come from bugs?

Interagency and Commercial Collaboration During an Investigation of Chikungunya and Dengue Among Returning Travelers to the United States.

Public health investigations can require intensive collaboration between numerous governmental and nongovernmental organizations. We describe an investigation involving several governmental and nongovernmental partners that was successfully planned and performed in an organized, comprehensive, and timely manner with several governmental and nongovernmental partners.

Risk of transfusion-transmitted chikungunya infection and efficacy of blood safety implementation measures: experience from the 2009 epidemic in Songkhla Province, Thailand.

BACKGROUND: To date, neither is there a standard guideline for maintaining a safe blood supply during a chikungunya fever (CHIKF) outbreak nor has a study been performed on actual transfusion-transmitted CHIKF to recipients. This study estimated the potential incidence of transfusion-transmitted CHIKF and compared the efficacies of various blood safety intervention strategies to mitigate the transfusion-transmitted CHIKF risk. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A Web-based tool named the European Up-Front Risk Assessment Tool (EUFRAT) was used to estimate the risk of transfusion-transmitted CHIKF using data inputs from the 2009 Songkhla epidemic in Thailand. RESULTS: The mean and maximal risks of viremic donations during the entire epidemic period were estimated to be 0.9 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.0-2.7) and 4.8 (95% CI, 0.5-9.1), respectively. This meant that the potential risk of transfusion-transmitted CHIKF to recipients receiving all infective end products in the absence of blood safety measures was from 10.9 (95% CI, 1.8-20.4) to 57.6 (95% CI, 36.4-79.5). Based on experience from the 2009 Thai epidemic, the proportion of 10% asymptomatic cases, for instance, with predonation screening for CHIKF-related symptoms and follow-up observation in donors at risk was estimated to be 88.4% (95% CI, 69.9%-100.0%) to 99.1% (95% CI, 79.6%-100.0%) effective in reducing this transfusion risk compared to 83.7% (95% CI, 65.8%-100.0%) to 90.7% (95% CI, 72.1%-100.0%) by predonation screening for donors at risk of chikungunya virus infection alone. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that prompt blood screening measures can reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted CHIKF and maintain a safe blood supply during an outbreak.

Management and Treatment of Dengue and Chikungunya - Natural Products to the Rescue.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) flourish mostly in impoverished developing nations of the world. It is estimated that NTDs plague up to 1 billion people every year thereby inducing a massive economic and health burden worldwide. Following explosive outbreaks mostly in Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Indian Ocean, two common NTDs namely, Chikungunya and Dengue both transmitted by an infected mosquito vector principally Aedes aegypti have emerged as a major public health threat. Given the limitations of conventional medicine in specifically targeting the Chikungunya and Dengue virus (CHIKV and DENV), natural products present an interesting avenue to explore in the quest of developing novel anti; mosquito, CHIKV and DENV agents. In this endeavor, a number of plant extracts, isolated phytochemicals, essential oils and seaweeds have shown promising larvicidal and insecticidal activity against some mosquito vectors as well as anti CHIKV and DENV activity invitro. Other natural products that have depicted good potential against these diseases include; the symbiotic bacterial genus Wolbachia which can largely reduce the life span and infectivity of mosquito vectors and the marine Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum which has shown anti- CHIKV activity at minimal cytotoxic level. The impetus of modern drug discovery approaches such as high throughput screening, drug repositioning, synthesis and computer-aided drug design will undeniably enhance the process of developing more stable lead molecules from natural products which have shown promising antiviral activity in-vitro.

A propósito de un caso de Fiebre de Chikungunya importada de América / Regarding a case of Chikungunya fever imported from America

Presentamos el caso de un varón de 41 años que tras viajar como VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) a Valencia, Venezuela, presen-tó a su regreso a España un cuadro de fiebre y artromialgias. El paciente cumplía criterios clínicos para el diagnosticado de fiebre de Chikungunya, recientemente introducida en América y donde se desarrolla en la actualidad una epidemia que afecta al país que viajó. El estudio serológico por el laboratorio de referencia confirmó esta sospecha al detectar IgM frente a virus Chikungunya (CHIKV). Al tratarse de una arbovirosis poco conocida en nuestro medio y de interés militar, aprovechamos el caso, primero diagnosticado en nuestro Hospital en el contexto de esta epidemia, para revisar la situación de esta enfermedad y la epidemiología del brote actual

We present a case of a 41-year-old male who travelled to Valencia, Venezuela as a VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) and presented fever and arthromyalgias upon his return to Spain. The patient met clinical criteria for the diagnosis of Chikungunya fever, recently introduced in the American continent, where a developing outbreak affects the country he travelled to. Serological testing in the reference laboratory confirmed this suspicion, detecting IgM against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Given that this ar-bovirosis is not well known in our environment and it is of military interest, we use this case, the first one diagnosed in our Hospital in the context of this epidemic, to review the situation of this disease and the epidemiology of the outbreak

Lymphadenopathy in Patients With Chikungunya Virus Infection Imported From Hispaniola: Case Reports.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is currently spreading in the Caribbean and America. Lymphadenopathy, described in infections with other alphaviruses, is not commonly reported in CHIKV infections. Painful lymphadenopathy was found in three of the first six CHIKV infections from the current outbreak diagnosed at a reference center in Madrid, Spain.

Chikungunya infection in a human immunodeficiency virus-infected kidney transplant recipient returning to Italy from the Dominican Republic.

Since December 2013, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) spread in many countries of the Western Hemisphere, and during the last year some cases of infected European travelers, coming back from the Caribbean, have been reported. The risk of acquiring severe travel-related illness is higher in immunocompromised subjects, such as patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection or solid organ transplant recipients. We reported the first case, to our knowledge, of CHIKV infection in an HIV-infected kidney transplant recipient.