Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26347221›Full record

ArticleVirus genes2015

Genetic divergence of Chikungunya virus plaque variants from the Comoros Island (2005).

Caroline Wasonga, Shingo Inoue, Cecilia Rumberia, George Michuki, James Kimotho, Juliette R Ongus, Rosemary Sang, Lillian Musila

Abstract read
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Article in Virus genes, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. RNAViruses · 2026
    Review
  2. Impact of RNA Virus Evolution on Quasispecies Formation and Virulence.International journal of molecular sciences · 2019
    Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.

Caroline WasongaDepartment of Biochemistry, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. cwasonga@gmail.com.
Shingo InoueDepartment of Virology, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4, Sakamoto, Nagasaki, 852-8523, Japan.
Cecilia RumberiaDepartment of Biological Sciences, International Livestock Research Institute, P. O. Box 3079- 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
George MichukiDepartment of Biological Sciences, International Livestock Research Institute, P. O. Box 3079- 00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
James KimothoProduction Department, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Juliette R OngusMedical Laboratory Sciences Department, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P. O. Box 62000-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Rosemary SangArbovirus/Viral Haemorrhagic Fever Laboratory, Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), P. O. Box 54840-00200, Nairobi, Kenya.
Lillian MusilaDepartment of Emerging Infectious Diseases, United States Army Medical Research Unit - Kenya, P. O. Box 606 - 00621, Village Market, Nairobi, Kenya.
International Livestock Research Institute · KEKenya Medical Research Institute · KEInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology · KENagasaki University · JPUnited States Army Medical Research Directorate - Africa · KEUniversity of Nairobi · KE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) from a human sample collected during the 2005 Chikungunya outbreak in the Comoros Island, showed distinct and reproducible large (L2) and small (S7) plaques which were characterized in this study. The parent strain and plaque variants were analysed by in vitro growth kinetics in different cell lines and their genetic similarity assessed by whole genome sequencing, comparative sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. In vitro growth kinetic assays showed similar growth patterns of both plaque variants in Vero cells but higher viral titres of S7 compared to L2 in C6/36 cells. Amino acids (AA) alignments of the CHIKV plaque variants and S27 African prototype strain, showed 30 AA changes in the non-structural proteins (nsP) and 22 AA changes in the structural proteins. Between L2 and S7, only two AAs differences were observed. A missense substitution (C642Y) of L2 in the nsP2, involving a conservative AA substitution and a nonsense substitution (R524X) of S7 in the nsP3, which has been shown to enhance O'nyong-nyong virus infectivity and dissemination in Anopheles mosquitoes. The phenotypic difference observed in plaque size could be attributed to one of these AA substitutions. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the parent strain and its variants clustered closely together with each other and with Indian Ocean CHIKV strains indicating circulation of isolates with close evolutionary relatedness in the same outbreak. These observations pave way for important functional studies to understand the significance of the identified genetic changes in virulence and viral transmission in mosquito and mammalian hosts.

Indexed as

Amino Acid SequenceAmino Acid SubstitutionAnimalsAnophelesBase SequenceCell LineChikungunya FeverChikungunya virusChlorocebus aethiopsComorosDisease OutbreaksGenetic DriftGenetic VariationHumansMolecular Sequence DataMultigene FamilyViral Nonstructural ProteinsChikungunya virusComoros IslandGenetic variationVariants

Identifiers

PMID26347221
OpenAlexW1771753850

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.