Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42243875›Full record

ArticleInfectious diseases of poverty2026

Genomic epidemiology reveals the origins and transmission dynamics of chikungunya virus in China.

Wei Chang, Mengyuan Zheng, Yanxian Jiang, Gaowen Liu, Xiao Chen, Xue Wang, Yan Guo, Li Liu, Yue Feng, Xueshan Xia

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Infectious diseases of poverty, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

10 authors.

Wei Chang *Faculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Mengyuan Zheng *Faculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Yanxian JiangFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Gaowen LiuFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Xiao ChenFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Xue WangFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Yan GuoFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Li LiuFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Yue FengFaculty of Life Science and Technology & Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming University of Science and Technology, No.727 Jingming Road, Chenggong Campus, Kunming, Yunnan, China. fyky2005@163.com.
Xueshan XiaYunnan Provincial Key Laboratory of Public Health and Biosafety, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China. oliverxia2000@aliyun.com.

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China 2023YFC2307400National Natural Science Foundation of China 82060612Yunnan Major Scientific and Technological Projects 202202AG050013Yunnan Major Scientific and Technological Projects 202302AA310044
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe chikungunya virus (CHIKV) poses a significant public health threat in China, driven by travel-related introductions and local outbreaks. A comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal dynamics, viral genetic diversity, and origins of these outbreaks is imperative for surveillance and control measures. This study aimed to characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of CHIKV in China and elucidate the evolutionary origins of outbreak lineages.

methodsA systematic collection of epidemiological data on CHIKV cases in China was conducted up to December 2025, resulting in the identification of 416 imported cases and 25,948 local cases. A comprehensive retrieval of all publicly available CHIKV genomes from China was conducted. The composition of viral lineages was determined by employing maximum likelihood phylogeny. Substitution rates were estimated, and time-scaled transmission clusters were generated using Bayesian evolutionary analysis. Discrete phylogeographic reconstruction was used to infer spatial diffusion pathways, with statistical support evaluated using Bayes Factors.

resultsFrom 1987 to 2025, imported chikungunya cases in China mainly originated from Southeast Asia, especially Myanmar, and were accompanied by several major local outbreaks. Significant outbreaks were reported in Guangdong (2010 and 2025), Yunnan (2019), and Taiwan (2019), with the largest outbreak occurring in Guangdong in 2025 and involving 25,335 cases. Genomic analysis of 314 sequences revealed that the East/Central/South African lineage was the most prevalent, accounting for 92.0% of cases. This lineage includes the Indian Ocean (IOL) and Central African clades. The Asian lineage accounted for the remaining 8.0%. Bayesian analysis identified four independent outbreak clusters. Phylogeographic data supported the conclusion that there were multiple introductions. The IOL clusters spread from Africa and South Asia to Southeast Asia. The 2025 Guangdong outbreak cluster (Central African clade) suggests a possible association with introduction from Africa. The Asian lineage circulated persistently in Southeast Asia before entering Yunnan Province.

conclusionsCHIKV outbreaks in China are linked to imported cases, and outbreak lineages consistently match recent imports. The virus entered through various, geographically independent routes. These findings underscore the need for genomic-informed surveillance at key entry points and in high-risk regions to anticipate and prevent local epidemics.

Indexed as

Chikungunya FeverChikungunya virusGenome, ViralBayes TheoremChinaDisease OutbreaksGenetic VariationGenomicsHumansPhylogenyPhylogeographyChikungunya virusChinaGenomic analysisPhylogeographic reconstruction

Identifiers

PMID42243875
PMCPMC13234983

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LicenceCC BY
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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.