Chikungunya virus evades antiviral CD8 T cell responses to establish persistent infection in joint-associated tissues

Bennett J. Davenport, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Christopher Bullock, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Mary K. McCarthy, University of Colorado School of Medicine
David W. Hawman, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Kenneth M. Murphy, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Ross M. Kedl, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Michael S. Diamond, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Thomas E. Morrison, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Abstract

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes explosive epidemics of a febrile illness characterized by debilitating arthralgia and arthritis that can endure for months to years following infection. In mouse models, CHIKV persists in joint tissues for weeks to months and is associated with chronic synovitis. Using a recombinant CHIKV strain encoding a CD8