Genome sequencing reveals coinfection by multiple chikungunya virus genotypes in a recent outbreak in Brazil

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an RNA virus from the Togaviridae family transmitted by mosquitoes in both sylvatic and urban cycles. In humans, CHIKV infection leads to a febrile illness, denominated Chikungunya fever (CHIKF), commonly associated with more intense and debilitating outcomes. CHIKV arrived in Brazil in 2014 through two independent introductions: the Asian/Caribbean genotype entered through the North region and the African ECSA genotype was imported through the Northeast region. Following their initial introduction, both genotypes established their urban cycle among large naive human populations causing several outbreaks in the Americas. Here, we sequenced CHIKV genomes from a re..