title: Chikungunya virus infection: first detection of imported and autochthonous cases in Panama.
abstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that was only endemic in Africa and south Asia until 2005 and 2006, when the virus spread into the Indian Ocean islands, Europe, and Asia. Autochthonous CHIKV transmission in the Caribbean islands was reported in December of 2013. In Panama, two febrile cases were detected in May of 2014: one traveling from Haiti, and the other traveling from the Dominican Republic. After other imported cases were detected, the first autochthonous case was reported in August of the same year. We detected CHIKV viral RNA and isolated the virus from serum samples. The phylogenetic analysis of the two imported isolates and one autochthonous CHIKV isolate indicated that the viruses belong to the Asian lineage in the Caribbean clade and are related to viruses recently identified in Saint Martin island, British Virgin Islands, China, and the Philippines. Although the circulating CHIKV lineages in the Americas have not yet been described, our results suggest that the Asian lineage is circulating in most American countries reporting autochthonous infection.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Yamilka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Jean-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Carrera
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Lizbeth
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cerezo
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Dimelza
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arauz
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Ilka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guerra
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cisneros
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Blas
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Armién
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Ana Margarita
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Botello
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Ana Belén
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Araúz
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Yamileth
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Lourdes
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: López-Vergès
authors.affiliation: Departments of Research in Virology and Biotechnology and Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases, Gorgas Memorial Institute of Health Studies, Panama City, Panama; School of Medicine, Columbus University, Panama City, Panama; National Department of Epidemiology, Ministry of Health, Panama City, Panama; Division of Infectious Diseases, Hospital Santo Tomas, Panama City, Panama; Policentro de Parque Lefevre, Panama City, Panama; Centro de Salud de Rio Abajo, Panama City, Panama bmoreno@gorgas.gob.pa.
authors.forename: Brechla A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Moreno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D065632:Chikungunya Fever / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D002646:Chikungunya virus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010176:Panama / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D055815:Young Adult