Serological and Molecular Detection of Chikungunya Virus among Arthritis Patient in Khartoum State, Sudan

Background: Chikungunya virus is an arthropod-borne virus belonging to the Togaviridae family and the genus Alphavirus. Its symptoms imitate rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and should be suspected in patients with RA-like features in endemic areas.Method: This is a descriptive, cross sectional study performed to detect IgM antibody and genome of CHIKV in patients with arthritis symptoms who attended the Military Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan during June 2017 to December 2017. CHIKV IgM antibodies and CHIKV RNA were estimated in 90 patients using ELISA and Reverse transcriptase Real time PCR respectively. Results: out of 90 patients with arthritis symptoms; Rheumatoid factor and anti Cyclic Citrullinated Peptide were negative, 66.3% were complaining of fever 52.6 % have high Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), all patients were complaining of arthralgia, 22.9% in Fingers, 24.3% in Wrists 16.7% in Knees, 26% in Ankles, and 10.1% in Elbows, three samples were positive for CHIKV IgM (3.3%)., and six were positive for CHIKV RNA (6.7%). Conclusions: CHIKV IgM antibodies and CHIKV RNA were detected among arthritis patients in Khartoum, Sudan. Further investigations are required to delineate the distribution and the importance of CHIKV in the etiology of arthritis and other disease syndromes in Sudan.