Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

Published in

Mary Ann Liebert, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 4(15), p. 258-260, 2015

DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2014.1724

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Chikungunya from the Caribbean: The Importance of Appropriate Laboratory Tests to Confirm the Diagnosis

This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) appeared for the first time in the Western Hemisphere-the French West Indies-in December of 2013. From there, the virus has spread to other Caribbean islands. Following the diagnosis of first autochthonous CHIKV cases in the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, a large outbreak is ongoing in the Americas. As of September 12, 2014, a total of 706,093 suspected and 9803 confirmed CHIKV cases have been reported in the Americas. This case study highlights the possibility of false-negative immunochromatographic CHIKV immunoglobulin M (IgM) tests and the need of confirmatory tests for suspected cases. Moreover, a greater spread of virus together with the presence of a mosquito vector (Aedes albopictus) enhances the risk of autochthonous transmission in Europe.