Immunogenic properties of the preparation containing the Chikungunya virus antigen inactivated by β-propiolactone

Introduction. Cases of Chikungunya fever have been reported in more than 100 countries in Europe, Oceania, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and America. The musculoskeletal disorders typical for Chikungunya fever can last from several months to a year and even lead to disability. The infection is believed to provide lifelong immunity. This factor and the lack of specific therapy make vaccination the most promising method for preventing Chikungunya fever.Materials and methods. The purified inactivated preparation with the different doses of the CHIKV antigen was injected intramuscularly to BALB/c mice twice with an interval of 14 days. Indicators of humoral and cellular immunity were assessed in dynamics in ELISA, the neutralization test and proliferation test of splenocytes. Results. The purified preparation containing the CHIKV antigen inactivated by beta-propiolactone had pronounced immunogenic properties. The most prominent immune response in ELISA and neutralization test was registered for a dose of 40 μg. Stimulation with the specific CHIKV antigen caused a pronounced proliferation of animals' splenocytes. The peak values of specific humoral and cellular immunity parameters were registered 14 days after the second injection.Discussion. The purified preparation containing the CHIKV antigen inactivated by beta-propiolactone had demonstrated the sufficient immunogenic properties. The immunizing dose of 40 μg CHIKV selected as a result of the studies caused in BALB/c mice the development of the humoral immunity characterized by the specific IgG with neutralizing activity, and the specific cell immunity characterized by the animals' splenocytes proliferation after stimulation with CHIKV antigen.Conclusion. The purified β-PL inactivated preparation of the CHIKV antigen at a dose of 40 μg to demonstrated pronounced immunogenicity in BALB/c mice after two-dose immunization. The developed preparation can be considered as promising for the prevention of Chikungunya fever using the dose and scheme tested in this study.

Exploring Socio-Economic Impact of Chikungunya Fever in Dhaka: A Statistical Modeling Approach

The study mainly focused on the socio-economic impact rather than the biological significance of Chikungunya fever in Dhaka city. The socio-economic impact had been measured mainly upon family cost and absence in the working place. It had been investigated whether a percentage of monthly family income spend on monthly expenditure changes due to Chikungunya incidence. Also, another inquiry was made about the productivity of the respondents, which had been measured by the number of absences in working place. The study considered primary data of 272 affected and 272 unaffected respondents from Dhaka city and found no significant association of family cost with Chikungunya incidence but the loss of productivity turned out as statistically significant. Another important objective was to explore potential determinants of Chikungunya. It is found that some patients use no preventive approach, while the majority use mosquito nets as a preventive approach. The respondents suggest themselves mostly to keep the drain free from blockage, regular changing water from plant containers, and use mosquito repellent and net. They seek from the government mostly to provide regular mosquito spray, develop drainage systems, and remove blocked water sources. Chikungunya has no direct economic impact on a family. But, as it affects productivity, it affects the national economy to a great extent.

Current state of chikungunya fever laboratory diagnosis (review of literature)

The article is about methods of chikungunya fever laboratory diagnosis. An algorithm for the study of biological material for the presence of antibodies against chikungunya virus and virus antigens is presented. The overview describes the information about commercial immunodiagnostic and genodiagnostic kits and their detailed specifications. The information presented in the review will be useful for doctors of clinical laboratory diagnostics to choose a method and an acceptable test system for laboratory confirmation of Chikungunya fever diagnosis, as well as differential diagnosis with other fevers, which have similar symptoms, common geographical distribution and carriers of infection.

Sub-acute and chronic musculoskeletal manifestations in chikungunya fever: experience in a tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh

Background: Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease and presentation usually follows 3 phases: acute, sub-acute and chronic. Erratic, relapsing and incapacitating arthritis is the hallmark of chikungunya and many patients go on to develop post-chikungunya arthritis. Bangladesh experienced a major outbreak of chikungunya since April-May of 2017 which created a mass panic among people. The present study aimed to evaluate the course and pattern of musculoskeletal manifestations of patients who had been diagnosed as a case of chikungunya fever Methods: It was a prospective observational study, conducted in Department of Internal Medicine, BIRDEM General Hospital from October, 2017 to August, 2018. Total 100 patients suffering from chikungunya were selected and data were collected by interview using a semi-structured questionnaire and medical records analysis. These patients were followed up after 3 weeks and 3-months of symptom onset and musculoskeletal features were recorded. Results: A total 100 patients were studied and among them female patients were 54%. Mean age of the patients was 49.7 years. Eighty-three patients were managed from outpatient department. All of the patients had history of fever and joint pain at the onset. Among 100 patients, musculoskeletal symptoms resolved in 23 patients within the acute phase and 77% went through sub-acute phase. Twenty six percent patients entered into chronic phase. Conclusion: Study revealed that for one-fourth patients, musculoskeletal manifestations resolved in acute phase, three-fourth patients entered in sub-acute phase and one-fourth patients entered in chronic phase. BIRDEM Med J 2021; 11(3): 166-171

Treatment and Prevention of Chikungunya Fever: Current Status and Prospective

Chikungunya fever is a vector borne tropical disease that was first described in an outbreak in Tanzania. The disease is caused by Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alpha virus belonging to the family Togaviridae and which is transmitted from one person to another via the bite of mosquitoes. Active disease is characterized by high grade fever, pain and joint symptoms. Although debilitating at times, the disease seldom progresses to result in a serious outcome like death. There are no specific treatments for Chikungunya virus at the moment. Clinical case management is highly dependent on providing palliative care which in turn is expected to alleviate symptoms and accelerate recovery from the infection. An important element in the control of outbreaks of CHIKV infection is prevention. Preventive strategies involve initiatives like vector control, immunizations and extra care to patients with the infection. There have been several tens of researches focusing on the introduction of newer drugs and vaccines against Chikungunya. That being said, so far, no single agent has completed the entire drug or vaccine development process. Chikungunya fever is a neglected tropical disease. Although it has no specific treatment till date, the number of vaccine and drug candidates under study provides promising insights on the prospects on chikungunya treatment.