Genotyping of Chikungunya virus isolates from India during 1963-2000 by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction

摘要

Chikungunya (CHIK) virus, a member of the Alphavirus genus, is of considerable public health importance in southeast Asian and African countries. This virus is considered a reemerging threat in southeast Asia (7, 2). It has been responsible for several febrile epidemics in India and is known to disappear abruptly from the affected areas for prolonged periods of time (3,4). Molecular epidemiological studies have shown that CHIK virus strains and/or isolates (strains/isolates) form two distinct lineages, Asian and African (5). Recent phylogenetic studies based on complete El gene sequences of representative virus isolates obtained between 1963 and 2000 have shown that the Indian isolates fall into three clades (D.T. Mourya, unpublished data).