Asian genotype of Chikungunya virus circulating in Venezuela during 2014

Acta Trop. 2017 Oct:174:88-90. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2017.06.026. Epub 2017 Jul 6.

Abstract

Chikungunya virus emerged on Saint-Martin Island in the Caribbean in late 2013. Since then in July of 2104 Venezuela reported autochthonous cases. This study reports the first phylogenetic characterization of CHIKV autochthonous cases in Venezuela, 2014. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the CHIKV circulating in Venezuela (Aragua state) belong to the Asian genotype (Caribbean clade) and it is related to viruses that circulated in the same year in the Caribbean.

Keywords: Asian genotype; Chikungunya; Venezuela.

MeSH terms

  • Chikungunya Fever / virology*
  • Chikungunya virus / classification*
  • Chikungunya virus / genetics*
  • Genetic Variation
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Phylogeny
  • Venezuela