Clinical Microbiology: Open Access

Isolation and diagnosis of chikungunya virus causing outbreaks in Andhra Pradesh, India

3^rd Global Microbiologists Annual Meeting

August 15-17, 2016 Portland, Oregon, USA

D V R Sai Gopal

Sri Venkateswara University, India

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Clin Microbiol

Abstract:

Chikungunya fever is one of the six major vector borne diseases endemic to India and has reemerged causing severe mortality during the recent outbreak. During the epidemic, clinical trial of fever, rashes and arthralgia is suggestive of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. The symptoms of CHIKV infection are most often clinically indistinguishable from those observed in dengue fever and viruses of both diseases are transmitted by the same species of mosquitoes. Co-infection with CHIKV and dengue virus (DENV) has been reported earlier, as well as during the current outbreak. Diagnosis of chikungunya fever during early stages of infection is a major challenge for clinicians. Non-availability of CHIKV antigen commercial assays in many parts of India also hampers the diagnosis of chikungunya fever. As a result of this, the burden of chikungunya fever is under estimated. The rapid diagnosis of chikungunya fever during an outbreak is critical for instituting appropriate treatment. Any delay in diagnosis or response to an outbreak allows spread of the virus, making eradication more difficult. The present study was undertaken to assess CHIKV seroprevalence during CHIKV suspected outbreaks in Andhra Pradesh, South India. Chikungunya fever has re-emerged in India with a high morbidity and the prevalence of chikungunya fever in India has been underreported due to non-availability of specialized kits to confirm the disease in most of the laboratories. Nine hundred and fifty six serum samples were collected from subjects presenting with a short febrile illness from various places in Andhra Pradesh and were screened for CHIKV infection. Virus isolation, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) rapid strip methods were employed for the identification of the causative agent. CHIKV infection was confirmed in 520 (68.1%) patients by RT-PCR. Seventy seven (40.1%) patients showed the presence of anti- CHIKV IgM antibodies while 12 (6.3%) patients showed the presence of both anti-CHIKV IgM and immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies respectively. The isolation of CHIKV was successful from five patients. The re-emergence and persistence of CHIKV in Andhra Pradesh suggests the need for continuous monitoring and identification of the pathogen and thereby prevention of the spread of the virus to other parts of the country. In conclusion our 10 months survey revealed the circulation of CHIKV in Andhra Pradesh and emphasizes the importance of active surveillance of the disease so as to prevent the outbreaks in the near future. The present study highlights the fact that CHIKV infection is an important but unrecognized cause of febrile illness in Andhra Pradesh and emphasizes the need of continuous surveillance for CHIKV disease using multiple diagnostic tests.

Biography :

Email: dvrsaigopal@gmail.com