Chikungunya virus infections in Finnish travellers 2009-2019. Issue 1 (1st January 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jääskeläinen, A. J.; Kareinen, L.; Smura, T.; Kallio-Kokko, H.; Vapalahti, O.
• Is Part Of: Infection ecology & epidemiology. Volume 10:Issue 1(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-01-01
• Subjects: Chikungunya -- RT-qPCR -- NGS -- Thailand -- diagnostics; Zoonoses -- Periodicals; Zoonoses -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Virology -- Periodicals; Bacteriology -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; Bacteriology -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Periodicals; Virology -- Periodicals; Bacteriology; Epidemiology; Virology; Periodicals; 614.56
• DOI: 10.1080/20008686.2020.1798096
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2000-8686

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The mosquito-borne chikungunya virus (CHIKV) causes an acute febrile illness with rash, joint and muscle pain.A realtime RT-PCR assay for CHIKV detecting non-structural protein (nsP2; CHIKV nsP2-RT-qPCR) was set up. All the serodiagnosed CHIKV cases detected during 2009-2019 in Finland were screened with the assay, followed by isolations attempts and sequencing using Sanger and next generation sequencing (NGS). To validate the assay external and in-house quality control samples were used and all were correctly identified. Specificity of the assay was 100%. Assay was sensitive to detect CHIKV RNA in dilution of 10 -8 .During years 2009-2019 34 patients were diagnosed for acute CHIKV infection. Twelve out of 34 cases were positive by CHIKV nsP2-RT-qPCR.Two CHIKV isolations succeeded from two individuals infected originally in Thailand, 2019. From 12 CHIKV nsP2-RT-qPCR positive samples, five (42%) CHIKVs were successfully sequenced. In this study, CHIKVs from year 2019 clustered with CHIKV ECSA-lineage forming sub-cluster with strains from ones detected in Bangladesh 2017, and the ones from Jamaica (2014) within Asian lineage showing highest similarity to strains detected in Caribbean outbreak 2013-15. Majority of the CHIKV infections detected in Finland originates from Asia and virus lineages reflect the global circulation of the pathogen.