Search

Christin Schmidt, Barbara S Schnierle Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Department of Virology, Section AIDS and Newly Emerging Pathogens, Langen, GermanyCorrespondence: Barbara S Schnierle, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Department of Virology, Section AIDS and newly emerging pathogens, Paul-Ehrlich-Strasse 51.59, Langen, 63225, Germany, Tel/Fax +49 6103 77 5504, Email barbara.schnierle@pei.deAbstract: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus that has spread globally in the last twenty years. Although mortality is rather low, infection can result in debilitating arthralgia that can persist for years. Unfortunately, no treatments or preventive vaccines are currently licensed against CHIKV infections. However, a large range of promising preclinical and clinical vaccine candidates have been developed during recent years. This review will give an introduction into the biology of CHIKV and the immune responses that are induced by infection, and will summarize CHIKV vaccine development.Keywords: alphavirus, vector vaccines, inactivated virus, nucleic acid vaccines, immune response, arthralgia