Dengue virus (DENV) serotypes 1-4 and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) (DENV/CHIKV)

Dengue virus (DENV) and Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) are significant mosquito-borne pathogens that often co-circulate in tropical and subtropical regions (WHO, 2023). Dengue virus, a member of the Flaviviridae family, exists as four distinct serotypes (DENV-1 through DENV-4), where infection with one serotype may not provide cross-protection and can increase the risk of severe disease through antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) (Nature Reviews Microbiology, 2020). Chikungunya virus is an alphavirus in the Togaviridae family that typically causes high fever and severe, often chronic, joint pain (WHO, 2023). Therapeutic strategies primarily focus on the development of vaccines to elicit neutralizing antibodies against viral envelope proteins, such as the FDA-approved Ixchiq for CHIKV and Qdenga for DENV (FDA, 2023; EMA, 2022). Additionally, research into small-molecule inhibitors targets essential viral components, including the NS3 protease and NS5 polymerase in DENV, and the non-structural proteins (nsP1-4) in CHIKV, to inhibit viral replication and assembly (Journal of Virology, 2021). Currently, while vaccines are becoming available, there are no widely approved direct-acting antiviral drugs for these infections (CDC, 2023).

Other names

Dengue virusChikungunya virusDENVCHIKVArbovirusesDENV1-4

Active immunization via live-attenuated or recombinant viral vectors to induce neutralizing antibodies against viral envelope proteins; inhibition of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase; inhibition of viral protease; inhibition of host alpha-glucosidase to prevent viral glycoprotein processing.