Co-distribution and co-infection of chikungunya and dengue viruses

Abstract

BackgroundChikungunya and dengue infections are spatio-temporally related. The current review aims to determine the geographic limits of chikungunya, dengue and the principal mosquito vectors for both viruses and to synthesise current epidemiological understanding of their co-distribution.MethodsThree biomedical databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched from their inception until May 2015 for studies that reported concurrent detection of chikungunya and dengue viruses in the same patient. Additionally, data from WHO, CDC and Healthmap alerts were extracted to create up-to-date global distribution maps for both dengue and chikungunya.ResultsEvidence for chikungunya-dengue co-infection has been found in Angola, Gabon, India, Madagascar, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Saint Martin, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand and Yemen; these constitute only 13 out of the 98 countries/territories where both chikungunya and dengue epidemic/endemic transmission have been reported.ConclusionsUnderstanding the true extent of chikungunya-dengue co-infection is hampered by current diagnosis largely based on their similar symptoms. Heightened awareness of chikungunya among the public and public health practitioners in the advent of the ongoing outbreak in the Americas can be expected to improve diagnostic rigour. Maps generated from the newly compiled lists of the geographic distribution of both pathogens and vectors represent the current geographical limits of chikungunya and dengue, as well as the countries/territories at risk of future incursion by both viruses. These describe regions of co-endemicity in which lab-based diagnosis of suspected cases is of higher priority.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-1417-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prolonged shedding of Chikungunya virus in semen and urine: A new perspective for diagnosis and implications for transmission

“…More recently, Villamil-Gomez et al reported a 49-year-old male from Colombia with a febrile illness, bilateral conjunctivitis and a pruritic rash that was diagnosed with ZIKV, CHIKV and DENV and had an uneventful course [37]. The true extent of CHIKV-DENV co-infection has been hampered by current diagnosis largely based on clinical grounds with unavailability of molecular methods in many parts of the world [38], [39].…”

Chikungunya virus and dengue virus coinfection: a case report from Bangladesh

“…Exclusion of dengue is more important than establishing chikungunya virus infection during febrile periods, as patients may require nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which is not advocated during dengue infection [3]. Not only that, dengue has a higher mortality (0.5-3.5%) than chikungunya (<0.1%) and simultaneous infections by both viruses may result in serious disease though controversies exist [1].…”

“…Dengue is endemic and chikungunya is an emerging infection in Bangladesh [1][2][3]. Since both the viruses are transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, simultaneous or sequential infections by chikungunya and dengue viruses are not impossible.…”

Erratum to: Co-distribution and co-infection of chikungunya and dengue viruses

“…After publication of the original article [1], it came to the authors' attention that there were errors within Fig. 1 and Additional file 1.…”