Chikungunya in Infants and Children: Is Pathogenesis Increasing?

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was first extensively described in children during outbreaks in India and South Asia during the mid-1960s. Prior to the 2005 emergence of CHIKV on Reunion Island, CHIKV infection was usually described as a dengue-like illness with arthralgia in Africa and febrile hemorrhagic disease in Asia. Soon after the 2005 emergence, severe CNS consequences from vertical and perinatal transmission were described and as CHIKV continued to emerge in new areas over the next 10 years, severe manifestation of infection and sequelae were increasingly reported in infants and neonates. The following review describes the global reemergence and the syndromes of Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) in infants and children. The various manifestations of CHIKF are described and connected to the viral lineage that was documented in the area at the time the disease was described. The data show that certain manifestations of CHIKF occur with specific viral lineages and genetic motifs, which suggests that severe manifestations of CHIKF in the very young may be associated with the emergence of new viral lineages.

Seroprevalence of yellow fever, dengue, West Nile and chikungunya viruses in children in Teso South Sub-County, Western Kenya

“…Due to their immature immune system, children are more susceptible to arbovirus infections and suffer much more severe disease than adults (Weaver and Reisen, 2010;Olatunji et al, 2018;Anderson et al, 1976;Barr and Vaidhyanathan, 2019;Robin et al, 2008;Yim et al, 2004).…”

Antibodies for Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus Protect Embryoid Bodies from Chikungunya Virus

“…Historically, CHIKV infection was thought to be self-limited but increasing reports are showing that rheumatic and neurological sequelae can linger for years following infection [1][2][3]. When CHIKV emerged in the Western Hemisphere, neuroinvasive disease and congenital infections were reported at rates much higher than the Eastern Hemisphere [4]. CHIKV congenital infections were first reported during the 2005 outbreak on Reunion Island [5][6][7].…”

“…After the emergence of CHIKV in the Western Hemisphere, multiple reports of congenital infections were published that documented neurological complications, cardiac defects, respiratory distress, and miscarriage [5,[8][9][10][11][12]. While reports of congenital infection were published in many CHIKV-endemic locations, the vast majority originated from South and Central America [4].…”

Fieber, Hautausschlag und Gelenkschmerzen nach Thailandreise

“…berhaftes Krankheitsbild mit Gelenkschmerzen und einem Hautausschlag verursacht. Nach dem E1-Antigen unterscheidet man 3 verschiedene Genotypen, den ost-und südafrikanischen, den westafrikanischen und den asiatischen [2]. Mit diesen Typen assoziiert ist eine unterschiedliche Ausprägung der Kardinalsymptome und der Komplikationen der Erkrankung, zu denen insbesondere Hämorrhagien, Enzephalitiden und chronische Gelenkschmerzen zählen [2][3][4].…”

“…Nach dem E1-Antigen unterscheidet man 3 verschiedene Genotypen, den ost-und südafrikanischen, den westafrikanischen und den asiatischen [2]. Mit diesen Typen assoziiert ist eine unterschiedliche Ausprägung der Kardinalsymptome und der Komplikationen der Erkrankung, zu denen insbesondere Hämorrhagien, Enzephalitiden und chronische Gelenkschmerzen zählen [2][3][4]. Ausgehend von den Ausbrüchen in La Réunion und Indien 2005 kam es zu einer Ausweitung des Verbreitungsgebiets nach Westafrika und Südasien, ausgehend von Kolumbien 2013 zum Einbezug von Mittel-und Südamerika, hier durch Import des asiatischen Geno typs [2].…”