• ENG

Now a faster and more accurate way to detect chikungunya

Now a faster and more accurate way to detect chikungunya

Written by Admin |Published : March 15, 2012 5:16 PM IST

Doctors can now quickly and accurately identify patients at risk from chikungunya, a mosquito-borne infectious disease endemic to Southeast Asia and Africa.

Lisa Ng, principal investigator at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), and her team discovered a direct biomarker which shows up in patients at risk of severe form of chikungunya fever (CHIKF).

Since its re-emergence in 2005, the chikungunya virus infection has spread to nearly 20 countries to infect millions. Singapore, for instance, was hit twice by chikungunya fever outbreaks in January and August 2008.

In India, chikungunya outbreaks were reported in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The Sanskrit name for the infection is 'sandhi jwara' or pain in the joints, one of the primary symptoms of chikungunya.

Chikungunua fever is characterised by an abrupt onset of fever frequently accompanied by severe muscle and joint pains. Though most patients recover fully within a week, in severe cases, the joint pains may persist for months, or even years, according to a SIgN statement.

For individuals with a weak immune system, the disease can result in death. With no clinically-approved vaccine or treatment for chikungunya fever, it remains a worrying public health problem.

Ng's team collaborated with Leo Yee Sin and Angela Chow, clinician-scientists from the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, to study how the human body responds to chikungnya infection.

They discovered that patients who respond to the disease at the onset with high levels of immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3), a naturally-acquired antibody, are protected from the more severe form of chikungunya fever, characterised by persistent joint pains.

Ng said: "We are excited that the mechanistic insights gained through our collaborative research . . . have led to discovery of 'new weapons' to tackle chikungunya more effectively."

Scientific director of SIgN, Paola Castagnoli, said: "With increasing threat of chikungunya virus infection, particularly in Asia and the Pacific region, this significant breakthrough is a step forward in enhancing our pandemic preparedness against the infectious disease.

Source: IANS