Chikungunya confused with dengue in Malaysia: Clinical, serological and molecular perspective

Abstract

This study was to observe clinical, serolgical and molecular diagnosis of chikungunya viral fever patients and its comparison with dengue viral fever. For that 49 serologically negative dengue patients but clinically dengue like symptomms were included. Clinical investigation was carried out recording different profiles of hospitalized patients. Serology was performed using the Onsite® Chikungunya IgM Combo rapid test and molecular test RT-PCR was performed to detect the virus in the patients sera. It was observed that out of them 19 (38.7 %) were serologically confirmed chikungunya infection. Interestingly molecular detection of the patients sera did not show the presence chikungunya virus but detected dengue virus from 9 patients’s sera. Classical clinical features of chikungunya virus infected patients were recorded to differentiate chikungunya from dengue, which were fever, arthralgia, myalgia and rash. Detection of chikungunya IgM in these cohort means that this virus is circulating throughout the year although not as many as dengue. Laboratory confirmation is important to differentiate chikungunya fever from dengue fever. This study adds some information in local data and hopefully can help the clinicians to clinically and laboratory diagnosis and management of chikungunya infection in outbreak and non-outbreak setting. Serology was proven to be useful in confirming chikungunya infection.