Viruses are spread by all kinds of vectors, or disease transmitting organisms. Examples of vector borne diseases include Malaria, whose parasite is transmitted by a mosquito, and Lyme Disease, which is an infectious bacterial disease that is transmitted by ticks. These and other diseases prove to be quite harmful and sometimes fatal if not treated as soon as possible.

The University of Texas Medical Branch has discovered that a protein switch permits the Chikungunya Virus or CHIKV to be spread by new vectors. The Chikungunya Virus is a viral disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected mosquitoes, particularly the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which also carries the Dengue virus. The virus circulates throughout much of Africa, with transmission thought to occur mainly between mosquitoes and monkeys. When infected, the illness if often debilitating, characterized by fever, fatigue, nausea, headache, vomiting, joint pain, rash and muscle pain. The name “chikungunya” is derived from the Swahili language, which means “that which bends up.” The incubation period can be from about 2-12 days, but on an average about 3-7 days, and the fever lasts from a few days to a couple of weeks. Prolonged fatigue and joint pain are often felt by the patients with the chikungunya fever. This is what sets the chikungunya fever from dengue hemorrhagic fever. Joint pain is not characteristic of chikungunya and not dengue. There have been no cases of death, neuroinvasive cases or hemorrhagic cases documented in scientific literature pertaining to the chikungunya fever. It is however responsible for epidemics of arthritic disease.

The researchers found that a recent epidemic of chikungunya fever in the Indian Ocean gave rise to the idea that another vector may be carrying the Chikungunya Virus, since the Aedes aegypti mosquito is not found in that region. When studied under binocular zoom stereomicroscopes, the researchers found that a relative of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the Asian tiger mosquito, was the carrier of the virus.

The researchers then scrutinized the virus. The epidemics were in fact associated with a strain of the Chikungunya Virus that, as observed under binocular zoom stereomicroscopes, had a mutated protein gene labeled E1-A226V. The researchers, following the lead, now put the protein E1-A226V under binocular zoom stereomicroscopes for further study. Mosquitoes were infected with both strains of the virus. The findings revealed that the virus with the mutated genes were more aggressive compared to the ordinary virus pertaining to transmission by the Asian tiger mosquito. So they concluded that the protein E1-A226V is directly responsible for the virus’ adaptation to the Asian tiger mosquito. With this kind of developing research, scientists are at least able to determine the possible spread of the Chikungunya Virus, as the Asian tiger mosquito is present not only in Asia and the U.S. but is spreading rapidly in Europe. This type of study can also help in the identification of new strains and the prevention of mutated strains of viruses to be spread all over the world. Epidemics with the Chikungunya Virus therefore are greatly avoided. Read the entire article