The Italian 2017 Outbreak Chikungunya Virus Belongs to an Emerging Aedes albopictus–Adapted Virus Cluster Introduced From the Indian Subcontinent

摘要

BackgroundChikungunya virus is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen with a wide global distribution. With the severe morbidity that it causes, chikungunya virus is a major public health problem in the affected areas and poses a considerable risk for unaffected areas hosting competent vector populations. In the summer of 2017, Italy experienced a chikungunya virus outbreak that spread in the Lazio region and caused a secondary outbreak in the Calabrian village of Guardavalle, with a final case number of 436. The causative strain was recognized as an Indian Ocean lineage (IOL) virus.