基孔肯雅病毒的分子变异及其流行趋势

Molecular variation and epidemiology of the Chikungunya virus

由基孔肯雅病毒(Chikungunya virus,CHIKV)引起的基孔肯雅热已从仅在非洲南部、东南亚和印度部分热带地区流行的蚊媒传染病传播至亚热带地区的多个国家。既往CHIKV的传播主要以埃及伊蚊作为传播媒介,2004年基孔肯雅热疫情在南亚地区的暴发流行中,出现了能够以地区分布更为广泛的白纹伊蚊为媒介传播病毒进化株,这也成为是基孔肯雅热流行区域不断扩大的重要原因。研究表明CHIKV主要是通过其基因组中编码的包膜糖蛋白(envelope glycoproteins)的多次突变以不断增强其对白纹伊蚊的适应性。对CHIKV进化规律和基因突变特征的研究不仅可以为研究病毒对蚊媒适应性的分子机制提供线索,还可以对可能的基孔肯雅热暴发流行提供预警。

Chikungunya virus(CHIKV),a mosquito-borne virus,is the etiological agent of Chikungunya fever,has spread from the tropical regions of sub-Saharan African,Southeast Asia and Indian Subcontinent to many subtropical areas.Historically,the transmission of CHIKV was vectored mainly by A.aegypti mosquito,however the adaptation to the new wider distribution vector,the A.albopictus mosquito,is a major factor contributing to its expansion in many parts of the world since the explosive outbreak in 2004.Studies have shown that adaptation of CHIKV to A.albopictus mosquito is a multistep process and mainly through the mutation of genes encoded envelope glycoproteins.Continued surveillance and studies of ongoing CHIKV evolution is needed not only for elucidating the molecular mechanism of CHIKV fitness in mosquito vectors,but also providing early alert for the potential explosive outbreaks of Chikungunya fever.