Chikungunya and the nervous system: what we do and do not know
Autor(es): Arpino Carla, Curatolo Paolo, Rezza Giovanni
Resumo: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus transmitted by mosquitoes of the Aedes genus, has recently re-emerged, causing epidemics on Indian Ocean Isl-s - the Indian subcontinent, - an unexpected outbreak in north-eastern Italy. CHIKV infection was first reported to affect the nervous system in the 1960s; in the early 1970s it was found to be associated with meningoencephalopathy, myelitis, - choroiditis, - animal studies appeared to confirm that CHIKV was neurotropic. Nonetheless, CHIKV has never been considered as a 'true' neurotropic virus. The re-emergence of CHIKV infection in areas with efficient clinical facilities has allowed CHIKV-related neurological disease to be better defined both in adults - children. Encephalopathy appears to represent the most common clinical manifestation among newborns infected through mother-to-child transmission. Although data are still scarce, the ratio between cases with - without CNS involvement for CHIKV appears to be comparable with that for other neurotropic viruses. Unfortunately, the neurotropism of CHIKV has not been completely defined, - different animal studies show inconsistencies with regard to the capacity of the virus to invade - replicate in the brain parenchyma. This merits further investigation in light of the emergence of the virus in previously unaffected areas - of the clinical evidence of CNS involvement in a considerable proportion of symptomatic cases.
Imprenta: Reviews in Medical Virology, v. 19, n. 3, p. 121-129, 2009
Identificador do objeto digital: 10.1002/rmv.606
Descritores: Chikungunya virus - Cytopathology ; Chikungunya virus - Pathogenesis ; Chikungunya virus - Viral infections ; Chikungunya Virus - Virus ; Chikungunya virus - Transmission ; Chikungunya virus - Epidemic
Data de publicação: 2009
