article · Emerging Microbes & Infections
In early 2019, a chikungunya virus outbreak affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus causes acute febrile joint pain and long-term complications. During the outbreak, human and mosquito samples were collected in Kinshasa and Kongo Central province. Almost half of the patients tested within seven days of symptom onset were positive by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Viral presence was also confirmed across multiple mosquito pools in the region. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that the circulating virus belonged to the ECSA2 lineage and carried the A226V mutation in the envelope gene, which enhances transmission by the mosquito Aedes albopictus. This strain did not cluster with previous Congolese outbreaks or other known A226V strains, pointing to independent convergent evolution driven by selection pressure. Furthermore, Aedes albopictus was found more frequently than Aedes aegypti in two of the three sampled areas, showing viral adaptation to this vector.
Chikungunya causes debilitating joint pain and long-term health complications. The adaptation of the virus to Aedes albopictus mosquitoes is significant because this vector has a wider geographic spread than the primary vector, Aedes aegypti. Understanding how the virus independently mutates to exploit new mosquito populations helps public health authorities anticipate broader transmission risks and improve regional surveillance in Central Africa.
The abstract provides early-stage genomic and epidemiological data that can inform diagnostic development, vector surveillance, and vaccine design. Public health organisations, diagnostic developers, and epidemiologists could use the sequence data to ensure assays detect emerging mutated strains. However, because this research focuses strictly on outbreak characterisation and viral genetics, it remains at a basic research level with no direct commercial product or near-market application presented.
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Early 2019, a chikungunya virus (CHIKV) outbreak hit the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Though seldomly deadly, this mosquito-borne disease presents as an acute febrile (poly)arthralgia often followed by long-term sequelae. Although <i>Aedes aegypti</i> is the primary vector, an amino acid substitution in the viral envelope gene E1 (A226V) is causing concern as it results in increased transmission by <i>Aedes albopictus</i>, a mosquito with a much wider geographical distribution. Between January and March 2019, we collected human and mosquito samples in Kinshasa and Kongo Central province (Kasangulu and Matadi). Of the patients that were tested within 7 days of symptom onset, 49.7% (87/175) were RT-qPCR positive, while in the mosquito samples CHIKV was found in 1/2 pools in Kinshasa, 5/6 pools in Kasangulu, and 8/26 pools in Matadi. Phylogenetic analysis on whole-genome sequences showed that the circulating strain formed a monophyletic group within the ECSA2 lineage and harboured the A226V mutation. Our sequences did not cluster with sequences from previously reported outbreaks in the DRC nor with other known A226V-containing ECSA2 strains. This indicates a scenario of convergent evolution where A226V was acquired independently in response to a similar selection pressure for transmission by <i>Ae. albopictus</i>. This is in line with our entomological data where we detected <i>Ae. albopictu</i>s more frequently than <i>Ae. aegypti</i> in two out of three affected areas. In conclusion, our findings suggest that CHIKV is adapting to the increased presence of <i>Aedes albopictus</i> in DRC.
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DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1810135
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