title: Chikungunya disease in nonhuman primates involves long-term viral persistence in macrophages.
abstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne alphavirus that induces in humans a disease characterized by fever, rash, and pain in muscles and joints. The recent emergence or reemergence of CHIKV in the Indian Ocean Islands and India has stressed the need to better understand the pathogenesis of this disease. Previous CHIKV disease models have used young or immunodeficient mice, but these do not recapitulate human disease patterns and are unsuitable for testing immune-based therapies. Herein, we describe what we believe to be a new model for CHIKV infection in adult, immunocompetent cynomolgus macaques. CHIKV infection in these animals recapitulated the viral, clinical, and pathological features observed in human disease. In the macaques, long-term CHIKV infection was observed in joints, muscles, lymphoid organs, and liver, which could explain the long-lasting CHIKV disease symptoms observed in humans. In addition, the study identified macrophages as the main cellular reservoirs during the late stages of CHIKV infection in vivo. This model of CHIKV physiopathology should allow the development of new therapeutic and/or prophylactic strategies.
authors.affiliation: CEA, Division of Immuno-Virology/Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies, Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Labadie
authors.forename: Thibaut
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Larcher
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Joubert
authors.forename: Abdelkrim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mannioui
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Delache
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brochard
authors.forename: Lydie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guigand
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dubreil
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lebon
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Verrier
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: de Lamballerie
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suhrbier
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cherel
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Le Grand
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roques
mesh_terms: D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D002646:Chikungunya virus; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology