Seroprevalence of Asian Lineage Chikungunya Virus Infection on Saint Martin Island, 7 Months After the 2013 Emergence

• Published in: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Main Authors: Gay, Noellie, Rousset, Dominique, Huc, Patricia, Matheus, Séverine, Ledrans, Martine, Rosine, Jacques, Cassadou, Sylvie, Noël, Harold
• Other Authors: Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Réseau International des Instituts Pasteur (RIIP), Santé publique France Guyane, Santé publique France - French National Public Health Agency Saint-Maurice, France, Cellule Inter Régionale d'Epidémiologie des Antilles - Guyane, Institut de Veille Sanitaire (INVS), CIRE Antilles-Guyane - Gourbeyre, Service de santé publique et d'épidémiologie, Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)-Hôpital Bicêtre AP-HP, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP) (AP-HP)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: [SDV.MHEP.MI]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Infectious diseases; [SDV.MHEP.ME]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Human health and pathology/Emerging diseases; [SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie; Martin Island
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02615927; https://hal.science/hal-02615927/document; https://hal.science/hal-02615927/file/tropmed-94-393.pdf; https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.15-0308

International audience At the end of 2013, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) emerged in Saint Martin Island, Caribbean. The Asian lineage was identified. Seven months after this introduction, the seroprevalence was 16.9% in the population of Saint Martin and 39.0% of infections remained asymptomatic. This moderate attack rate and the apparent limited size of the outbreak in Saint Martin could be explained by control measures involved to lower the exposure of the inhabitants. Other drivers such as climatic factors and population genetic factors should be explored. The substantial rate of asymptomatic infections recorded points to a potential source of infection that can both spread in new geographic areas and maintain an inconspicuous endemic circulation in the Americas.