Usefulness of immunological and molecular methods for the diagnosis of Chikungunya virus

Abstract

Background: Chikungunya is a virus that has caused many infectious outbreaks worldwide becoming a public health problem. It shares several similarities with the Dengue virus, are transmitted by the same vector that is a mosquito of the genus Aedes, are found in tropical and subtropical areas and present the same clinical symptoms in the acute phase of the disease, which makes its clinical diagnosis difficult. Methods: Bibliographic revision of the diagnostic methods of the virus from the world literature in searchers of database and indexed journals. Discussion: Among the results it can be said that of all the immunological techniques, the MAC ELISA formats for antibody detection and the ELISAs for antigen detection show reliable results for the identification of the virus, with respect to the molecular tests it can be affirmed that they are highly sensitive and specific techniques, with multiple advantages over immunological techniques since they can detect and quantify both viruses simultaneously. Conclusion: The best techniques are molecular tests, but it is very expensive for most laboratories, therefore, the use of ELISA assays based on antigen detection is recommended because they are specific, sensitive and can detect the virus in the acute phase of the disease.