A study on detection of dengue-chikungunya co-infection in and around

Both Dengue and Chikungunya fever are arboviral infections of global importance. The two diseases share a common mode of transmission, i.e. through different species of mosquitoes. Therefore, these infections are normally present in the same geographical locations. Human co-infection with DENV and CHIKV have been reported in India since 1967. Since DENV and CHIKV share a seasonal transmission cycle and have a number of similarities in clinical presentation, they are difficult to distinguish without specialized serologic or molecular diagnosis. The Objective Of the Study is to evaluate Dengue and Chikungunya Co-infection in and around Chamarajanagar. Two years retrospective study was conducted from January 2017 to December 2018. Samples from patients of all age group who presented with fever, and were clinically suspected to have Dengue and Chikungunya were included. Testing method will be done by IgM antibody capture ELISA kits produced by NIV (Arbovirus Diagnostic NIV, Pune, India). The tests will be carried out following the manufacturer's instruction. In 2017, Of 1664 samples tested for Dengue IgM, 158(09.49%) were positive. In 2018, of 737 samples tested for Dengue IgM, 48 (6.51%) were positive. In 2017, Of 1439 samples tested for Chikungunya, 147(10.21%) were positive. In 2018, of 711 samples tested for Chikungunya IgM, 90 (12.6%) were positive. 12 patients from 2017 and 19 patients from 2018, Total 31 patients were characterized with coinfection involving CHIKV and DENV infection respectively. The serological tests (ELISA) clearly establish the etiology and also help in initiating appropriate treatment and preventive measures in community.