A226V mutation in virus during the 2007 chikungunya outbreak in Kerala, India.
Kerala State in India was gripped by a renewed and widespread outbreak of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection during 2007. Here, we report the A226V mutation in the glycoprotein envelope 1 (E1) gene of the virus among isolates collected from the three worst-affected districts of the state during this outbreak. This mutation had already been suggested to be directly responsible for a significant increase in CHIKV infectivity in Aedes albopictus. The badly affected districts in Kerala State during 2007 have abundant rubber plantations, which supported prolific breeding of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. The abundance of Ae. albopictus in the region and molecular evolution of CHIKV may be contributing factors for the renewed epidemic of chikungunya fever during 2007.
Kumar
N Pradeep
NP
Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR), Indira Nagar, Pondicherry, India.
Joseph
Rajan
R
Kerala State Institute of Virology and Infectious Disease, Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Kamaraj
T
T
Kerala State Institute of Virology and Infectious Disease, Alappuzha, Kerala, India.
Jambulingam
P
P
Vector Control Research Centre (ICMR), Indira Nagar, Pondicherry, India.
D000330:Aedes / Q000145:classification / Q000821:virology; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000235:genetics*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins