Cross-protective immunity against o'nyong-nyong virus afforded by a novel recombinant chikungunya vaccine

Emerging mosquito-borne alphavirus infections caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV) or o'nyong-nyong virus (ONNV) are responsible for sporadic and sometimes explosive urban outbreaks. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine against either virus. We have developed a highly attenuated recombinant CHIKV candidate vaccine (CHIKV/IRES) that in preclinical studies was demonstrated to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious. In this study we investigated the potential of this vaccine to induce cross-protective immunity against the antigenically related ONNV. Our studies demonstrated that a single dose of CHIKV/IRES elicited a strong cross-neutralizing antibody response and conferred protection against ONNV challenge in the A129 mouse model. Moreover, CHIKV/IRES immune A129 dams transferred antibodies to their offspring that were protective, and passively transferred anti-CHIKV/IRES immune serum protected AG129 mice, independently of a functional IFN response. These findings highlight the potential of the CHIKV/IRES vaccine to protect humans against not only CHIKV but also against ONNV-induced disease.     

Preparedness for Threat of Chikungunya in the Pacific

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) caused significant outbreaks of illness during 2005–2007 in the Indian Ocean region. Chikungunya outbreaks have also occurred in the Pacific region, including in Papua New Guinea in 2012; New Caledonia in April 2013; and Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia, in August 2013. CHIKV is a threat in the Pacific, and the risk for further spread is high, given several similarities between the Pacific and Indian Ocean chikungunya outbreaks. Island health care systems have difficulties coping with high caseloads, which highlights the need for early multidisciplinary preparedness. The Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network has developed several strategies focusing on surveillance, case management, vector control, laboratory confirmation, and communication. The management of this CHIKV threat will likely have broad implications for global public health.     

中国天津市一例缅甸输入基孔肯雅热病例的病毒基因分型

目的 对天津市1例输入基孔肯雅热病例开展病毒基因分型,确定基孔肯雅病毒（CHIKV）与全球主要流行株的关系。方法 提取临床症状疑似为CHIKV感染患者血清中RNA,采用荧光定量RT-PCR法检测CHIKV核酸。两步RT-PCR法扩增编码CHIKV包膜糖蛋白E1的基因,扩增产物经测序后开展测序分析。将测序结果与全球其他地区流行毒株一同构建系统发生树。结果 天津市输入型CHIKV基因分型属于能够感染白纹伊蚊并在其体内繁殖的东/中/南非基因型印度洋亚型（ECSA-IOL）。系统发生树分析表明,此次输入的CHIKV与2016－2017年在巴基斯坦、意大利、孟加拉国等国家流行的CHIKV毒株高度同源,序列的同源性高达99.4%,并与这些国家流行的CHIKV毒株共同组成1个基因分型簇。结论 此次输入性基孔肯雅热病例感染的毒株更容易在人群中传播,提示应加强对基孔肯雅热输入性病例的防控工作,以防止该蚊媒传染病在我国发生本地聚集性传播。     

Phylogeny of Dengue and Chikungunya viruses in Al Hudayda governorate,Yemen

Yemen, which is located in the southwestern end of the Arabian Peninsula, is one of countries most affected by recurrent epidemics caused by emerging vector-borne viruses. Dengue virus (DENV) outbreaks have been reported with increasing frequency in several governorates since the year 2000, and the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has been also responsible of large outbreaks and it is now a major public health problem in Yemen. We report the results of the phylogenetic analysis of DENV-2 and CHIKV isolates (NS1 and E1 genes, respectively) detected in an outbreak occurred in Al-Hudayda in 2012. Estimates of the introduction date of CHIKV and DENV-2, and the phylogeographic analysis of DENV-2 are also presented. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Yemen isolates of DENV belonged to the lineage 2 Cosmopolitan subtype, whereas CHIKV isolates from Yemen belonged to the ECSA genotype. All the CHIKV isolates from Yemen were statistically supported and dated back to the year 2010 (95% HPD: 2009–2011); these sequences showed an alanine in the aminoacid position 226 of the E1 protein. Phylogeographic analysis of DENV-2 virus showed that cluster 1, which included Yemen isolates, dated back to 2003 Burkina Faso strains (95% HPD 1999–2007). The Yemen, cluster dated back to 2011 (95% HPD 2009–2012). Our study sheds light on the global spatiotemporal dynamics of DENV-2 and CHIKV in Yemen. This study reinforces both the need to monitor the spread of CHIKV and DENV, and to apply significant measures for vector control.     

Molecular epidemiology,evolution and phylogeny of Chikungunya virus: An updating review

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus belonging to the Togaviridae family, causing a febrile illness associated with severe arthralgia and rash.In this review, we summarized a series of articles published from 2013 to 2016 concerning CHIKV epidemiology, phylogeny, vaccine and therapies, to give an update of our most recent article written in 2014 (Lo Presti et al.,2014).CHIKV infection was first reported in 1952 from Makonde plateaus and since this time caused many outbreaks worldwide, involving the Indian Ocean region, African countries, American continent and Italy. CHIKV infection is still underestimated and it is normally associated with clinical symptoms overlapping with dengue virus, recurring epidemics and mutations within the viral genome. These characteristics promote the geographical spread and the inability to control vector-mediated transmission of the virus. For these reasons, the majority of studies were aimed to describe outbreaks and to enhance knowledge on CHIKV biology, pathogenesis, infection treatment, and prevention. In this review, 16 studies on CHIKV phylogenetic and phylodinamics were considered, during the years 2013–2016. Phylogenetic and phylodinamic analysis are useful tools to investigate how the genealogy of a pathogen population is influenced by pathogen's demographic history, host immunological milieu and environmental/ecological factors.Phylogenetic tools were revealed important to reconstruct the geographic spread of CHIKV during the epidemics wave and to have information on the circulating strains of the virus, that are important for the prediction and control of the epidemics, as well as for vaccines and antiviral drugs development.In conclusion, this updating review can give a critical appraisal of the epidemiology, therapeutic and phylogenesis of CHIKV, reinforcing the need to monitor the geographic spread of virus and vectors.     

A recombinant virus vaccine that protects against both Chikungunya and Zika virus infections

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) have recently expanded their range in the world and caused serious and widespread outbreaks of near pandemic proportions. There are no licensed vaccines that protect against these co-circulating viruses that are transmitted by invasive mosquito vectors. We report here on the development of a single-dose, bivalent experimental vaccine for CHIKV and ZIKV. This vaccine is based on a chimeric vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) that expresses the CHIKV envelope polyprotein (E3-E2-6K-E1) in place of the VSV glycoprotein (G) and also expresses the membrane-envelope (ME) glycoproteins of ZIKV. This vaccine induced neutralizing antibody responses to both CHIKV and ZIKV in wild-type mice and in interferon receptor-deficient A129 mice, animal models for CHIKV and ZIKV infection. A single vaccination of A129 mice with the vector protected these mice against infection with both CHIKV and ZIKV. Our single-dose vaccine could provide durable, low-cost protection against both CHIKV and ZIKV for people traveling to or living in areas where both viruses are circulating, which include most tropical regions in the world.     

Immunological implications of diverse production approaches for Chikungunya virus-like particle vaccines

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus from the Alphavirus genus, causes sporadic outbreaks and epidemics and can cause acute febrile illness accompanied by severe long-term arthralgias. Over 20 CHIKV vaccine candidates have been developed over the last two decades, utilizing a wide range of vaccine platforms, including virus-like particles (VLP). A CHIKV VLP vaccine candidate is among three candidates in late-stage clinical testing and has potentially promising data in nonclinical and clinical studies exploring safety and vaccine immunogenicity. Despite the consistency of the CHIKV VLP structure, vaccine candidates vary significantly in protein sequence identity, structural protein expression cassettes and their mode of production. Here, we explore the impact of CHIKV VLP coding sequence variation and the chosen expression platform, which affect VLP expression yields, antigenicity and overall vaccine immunogenicity. Additionally, we explore the potential of the CHIKV VLP platform to be modified to elicit protection against other pathogens.     

Travel distance and human movement predict paths of emergence and spatial spread of chikungunya in Thailand

Human movement contributes to the probability that pathogens will be introduced to new geographic locations. Here we investigate the impact of human movement on the spatial spread of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in Southern Thailand during a recent re-emergence. We hypothesised that human movement, population density, the presence of habitat conducive to vectors, rainfall and temperature affect the transmission of CHIKV and the spatiotemporal pattern of cases seen during the emergence. We fit metapopulation transmission models to CHIKV incidence data. The dates at which incidence in each of 151 districts in Southern Thailand exceeded specified thresholds were the target of model fits. We confronted multiple alternative models to determine which factors were most influential in the spatial spread. We considered multiple measures of spatial distance between districts and adjacency networks and also looked for evidence of long-distance translocation (LDT) events. The best fit model included driving-distance between districts, human movement, rubber plantation area and three LDT events. This work has important implications for predicting the spatial spread and targeting resources for control in future CHIKV emergences. Our modelling framework could also be adapted to other disease systems where population mobility may drive the spatial advance of outbreaks.Key words: Chikungunya virus, gravity model, human movement, spatial spread, Thailand     

Genetic characterization of E2 region of Chikungunya virus circulating in Odisha,Eastern India from 2010 to 2011

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection has caught attention yet again as it rages around the globe affecting millions of people. The virus caused epidemic outbreaks affecting more than 15,000 people in Odisha, Eastern India since 2010. In this study, complete genetic characterization of E2 gene of CHIKV circulating in Odisha from 2010 to 2011 was performed by virus isolation, RT-PCR, molecular phylogenetics and bioinformatics methods. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the circulation of Indian Ocean Lineage (IOL) strains of ECSA genotype of CHIKV in Odisha. Several mutations were detected in the E2 gene, viz. E2-R82G, E2-L210Q, E2-I211T, E2-V229I and E2-S375T which had various adaptive roles during the evolution of CHIKV. The CHIKV E2 peptide ⁵⁷KTDDSHD⁶³ was predicted to be the most probable T-cell epitope and peptide ⁸⁴FVRTSAPCT⁹² predicted to be the common T and B cell epitope having high antigenicity. The amino acid positions 356–379 and 365–385 were predicted to be transmembrane helical domains and indicated E2 protein anchorage in intracellular membranes for effective interaction with the host receptors. Positive selection pressure was observed in five specific sites, 210, 211, 318, 375, and 377 which were observed to be fixed advantageously in most viral isolates. Structural modeling revealed that E2 gene of CHIKV was composed of 3 domains and the major adaptive mutations were detected in domain B, which can modulate binding of CHIKV to host cells, while the transmembrane domain in domain C and the epitopes were located in domain A, which was found to be most conserved. This is the first report from Eastern India demonstrating a predictive approach to the genetic variations, epitopic regions and the transmembrane helices of the E2 region. The results of this study, combined with other published observations, will expand our knowledge about the E2 region of CHIKV which can be exploited to develop control measures against CHIKV.     

Chikungunya Fever Outbreak,Bhutan, 2012

In 2012, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was reported for the first time in Bhutan. IgM ELISA results were positive for 36/210 patient samples; PCR was positive for 32/81. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed that Bhutan CHIKV belongs to the East/Central/South African genotype. Appropriate responses to future outbreaks require a system of surveillance and improved laboratory capacity.     

A booster regime of liposome-delivered live-attenuated CHIKV vaccine RNA genome protects against chikungunya virus disease in mice

Mosquito-transmitted chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the causal pathogen of CHIKV disease and is responsible for global epidemics of arthritic disease. CHIKV infection can lead to severe chronic and debilitating arthralgia, significantly impacting patient mobility and quality of life. Our previous studies have shown a live-attenuated CHIKV vaccine candidate, CHIKV-NoLS, to be effective in protecting against CHIKV disease in mice vaccinated with one dose. Further studies have demonstrated the value of a liposome RNA delivery system to deliver the RNA genome of CHIKV-NoLS directly in vivo, promoting de novo production of live-attenuated vaccine particles in vaccinated hosts. This system, designed to bypass live-attenuated vaccine production bottlenecks, uses CAF01 liposomes. However, one dose of CHIKV-NoLS CAF01 failed to provide systemic protection against CHIKV challenge in mice, with low levels of CHIKV-specific antibodies. Here we describe CHIKV-NoLS CAF01 booster vaccination regimes designed to increase vaccine efficacy. C57BL/6 mice were vaccinated with three doses of CHIKV-NoLS CAF01 either intramuscularly or subcutaneously. CHIKV-NoLS CAF01 vaccinated mice developed a systemic immune response against CHIKV that shared similarity to vaccination with CHIKV-NoLS, including high levels of CHIKV-specific neutralising antibodies in subcutaneously inoculated mice. CHIKV-NoLS CAF01 vaccinated mice were protected against disease signs and musculoskeletal inflammation when challenged with CHIKV. Mice given one dose of live-attenuated CHIKV-NoLS developed a long lasting protective immune response for up to 71 days. A clinically relevant CHIKV-NoLS CAF01 booster regime can overcome the challenges faced by our previous one dose strategy and provide systemic protection against CHIKV disease.     

我国基孔肯雅热的流行状况

2010年10月,广东省东莞市暴发了我国首起基孔肯雅热社区聚集性疫情,打破了其长期以来以散在输入性病例为特征的流行现状。基孔肯雅热是一种由基孔肯雅病毒引起的急性传染病,伊蚊是其主要传播媒介。而我国大多数地区拥有其主要传播媒介埃及伊蚊和白纹伊蚊,一旦病原体侵入,可能暴发基孔肯雅热疫情。如何控制该疫情,防止疫情的进一步扩散,是摆在我们面前的当务之急。现就基孔肯雅病毒的病原学特征以及基孔肯雅热在我国历年的流行状况做一概述,以便更好地认识基孔肯雅热,为有效地监测和防治提供科学依据。     

基孔肯雅病毒与基孔肯雅热

基孔肯雅热是一种人兽共患病,是由基孔肯雅病毒（chikungunya virus,CHIKV）引起,以发热、皮疹、关节疼痛和轻度出血为主要特征的急性传染病。这种病毒病主要分布在非洲、南亚、东南亚热带和亚热带地区。近年来在印度洋地区造成大规模流行,并波及我国南方,疫区在不断扩大。埃及伊蚊和白纹伊蚊是主要传播媒介。通过携带病毒的伊蚊叮咬而传播。在实验室内可通过气溶胶传播,目前尚无直接人传人的报道。多数病人能完全痊愈,但有些病人关节疼痛持续较长时间。     

Phylogeny and homologous recombination in Chikungunya viruses

The periodic and recent outbreaks of endemic Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection have jeopardized the public health in wider geographical regions. Particularly, full genome-based phylogenetic analyses and recombination of CHIKV have rarely been reported. In this study, phylogenetic and recombination analyses were performed on 122 complete CHIKV genomes. Three major phylogroups were identified which included West African genotype (group I); Asian genotype (group II) as well as ESCA and Indian Ocean genotype (group III). The latter was divided into three subgroups: East/South/Central African subgroup (IIIa and b) and Indian Ocean and Asian subgroup (IIIc). Re-emerging of the CHIKV in Asian countries gave rise to a novel subgroup. Two potential recombination events were found; nevertheless, neither of both was supported by further phylogenetic and statistical analyses. These data refine the phylogeny of the currently available CHIKVs and homologous recombination did not contribute to the genetic diversity of these viruses.     

Development and application of a bioluminescent imaging mouse model for Chikungunya virus based on pseudovirus system

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an arthropod-borne virus that is transmitted to humans primarily via the bite of an infected mosquito. Infection of humans by CHIKV can cause chikungunya fever which is an acute febrile illness associated with severe, often debilitating polyarthralgias. Since a re-emergence of CHIKV in 2004, the virus has spread into novel locations in nearly 40 countries including non-endemic regions and has led to millions of cases of disease throughout countries. Handling of CHIKV is restricted to the high-containment Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) facilities, which greatly impede the research progress of this virus. In this study, an envelope-pseudotyped virus expressing the firefly luciferase reporter protein (pHIV–CHIKV–Fluc) was generated. An in vitro sensitive neutralizing assay and an in vivo bioluminescent-imaging-based mouse infection model had been developed based on the CHIKV pseudovirus. Utilizing the platform, protection effect of DNA vaccine was evaluated. Therefore, this study provides a safe, sensitive and visualizing model for evaluating vaccines and antiviral therapies against CHIKV in low containment BSL-2 laboratories.     

2003年中国食源性疾病暴发的监测资料分析

目的持续监测国家食源性疾病监测网覆盖地区人群食源性疾病发生状况。方法对2003年监测地区13个省上报食源性疾病资料进行回顾性分析。结果2003年共上报802起食源性疾病事件,涉及患者人数达17462人。微生物引起的食源性疾病事件和涉及人数最多,分别占总体的46·4%和60·4%,其中副溶血性弧菌(40·1%)是主要致病菌。化学物引起的食源性疾病事件和涉及人数分别占总体的24·1%和13·9%。结论应不断完善中国食源性疾病监测网络建设,作为监测食源性疾病的重要平台。