Persistence of Chikungunya Virus in Samples Stored at Different Temperatures

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-borne alphavirus (family Togaviridae), has become a globally major public health problem since 2004 (ref. 1). No vaccines or therapeutics are available except for mosquito control. CHIKV is relatively stable in blood at room temperature and remains viable for at least 8 h (ref. 2). However, no documented data is available regarding survival of CHIKV outside the host, i.e. in serum or infected mosquitoes. Understanding the survival and environmental stability of CHIKV in the above samples is important for effective management during outbreaks and handling clinical samples.