Outbreak of chikungunya virus in a vulnerable population of Sergipe, Brazil-A molecular and serological survey

Author(s)

Cunha, Marielton dos Passos ^[1] ; dos Santos, Cliomar Alves ^[2] ; de Lima Neto, Daniel Ferreira ^[1] ; Schanoski, Alessandra Soares ^[3] ; Pour, Shahab Zaki ^[1] ; Passos, Saulo Duarte ^[4] ; Feitosa de Souzae, Mercia Simone ^[5] ; Costa, Danuza Duarte ^[2] ; de Andrade Zanotto, Paolo Marinho ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Biomed Sci Inst, Dept Microbiol, Lab Mol Evolut & Bioinformat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] State Secretary Hlth, Cent Lab Publ Hlth LACEN SE, Hlth Fdn Parreiras Horta FSPH, Sergipe - Brazil

^[3] Butantan Inst, Bacteriol Lab 2, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Jundiai Med Fac, Dept Pediat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[5] State Secretary Hlth, Coordinat Nucleus Communicable Dis, Sergipe - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Clinical Virology; v. 97, p. 44-49, DEC 2017.
• Web of Science Citations: 9

Abstract

Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging arbovirus that is causing outbreaks in several countries of the Americas. The virus was introduced in Brazil in 2014, and since then, several Brazilian states have notified autochthonous cases. Objectives: Provide additional evidence on a CHIKV outbreak and an outline of the laboratory and clinical profile of symptomatic patients in Sergipe, Brazil. Study design: In February 2016, we collected 142 serum samples from symptomatic patients for arboviruses in Sergipe, Brazil. All samples were submitted to qRT-PCR for the emerging arboviruses circulating in Brazil - ZIKV, CHIKV, and DENV - and later submitted to the immunoenzymatic assay. RNA positive samples were randomly selected and sequenced for characterization of the genotype involved in the outbreak. Results: Our study had 75.35% (107/142) positivity for CHIKV infection, with all age groups and genera being equally infected. The virus was identified in 11 of the 13 cities studied in that state, including the ECSA genotype. Importantly, fever was the only statistically significant symptoms for CHIKV infection (p < 0.05), while asthenia was significantly associated with symptomatic patients that were CHIKV-negative (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Our findings support the importance of fever as a clinical marker and contribute to molecular and serological surveillance data, which may help in the understanding of CHIKV circulation, emergence and clinical description. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/03605-9 - Temporal expression of Zika virus genes from strains of African and Brazilian and mapping of the gene expression in permissive, semi- permissive and non- permissive systems
• Grantee: Daniel Ferreira de Lima Neto
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/17766-9 - A systemic approach to study permissivity on the Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV)
• Grantee: Paolo Marinho de Andrade Zanotto
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 16/08204-2 - Genetic and phylodynamics diversity of emerging and re-emerging arboviruses (DENV, ZIKV and CHIKV) in the Northeast and Southeast regions of Brazil, 2014-2016
• Grantee: Marielton dos Passos Cunha
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate