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Introduction Accurate diagnosis of chikungunya (CHIK) is essential for effective disease management and surveillance. In a cohort of febrile Congolese patients, available diagnostic methods widely used in CHIK diagnosis were evaluated. In addition, plasma cytokines were quantified in CHIK patients and those coinfected with malaria compared with healthy controls. Methods Between June and November 2019, a total of 107 febrile patients with suspected CHIK were subjected to differential diagnosis both for CHIK and malaria. Patients were screened for CHIK virus using molecular diagnosis by real-time PCR, serologic testing by IgM-specific and IgG-specific ELISAs, and lateral flow-based method with rapid diagnostic test (RDT), while malaria diagnosis was confirmed by PCR methods. Pro-inflammatory (IL-12, IL-16, IFN-γ, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (IL-4, IL-10, IL-13) cytokines were quantified in patients and healthy controls by ELISA assays. Results Molecular diagnoses revealed that 57% (61/107) were positive for CHIK by RT-PCR, while serologic testing revealed 31% (33/107) and 9% (10/107) seropositivity for anti- IgM and IgG, respectively. None of the patients were CHIK RDT-positive. Also, 27% (29/107) were PCR-positive for malaria. Among the malaria-positive patients, 14% (15/107) were co-infected with CHIK and 13% (14/107) were monoinfection. Plasma IL-12 and TNF-α levels were increased in patients with malaria and IL-13 levels were increased in patients with co-infection (p Conclusion Co-infection of malaria and CHIK were common in febrile Congolese patients. Real-time PCR was a better tool for detecting actual occurrences of CHIK in a malaria holoendemic area.

Introduction Acute viral gastroenteritis is a major public health concern, especially among children younger than 5 years of age. The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of human astrovirus infection in children with acute gastroenteritis. Methods Stool specimens were collected from 506 children under 5 years of age hospitalized with acute diarrhoea (289 male and 208 female), and human astrovirus was investigated by RT-PCR. Associations of socio-demographic, clinical, and behavioural conditions with infection were analysed. Results The overall prevalence of human astrovirus was found to be 10.3%. The mean age of positive cases was 12.41 ± 6.21 months and this was associated with infection (p = 0.013). Children >18 months of age were at three times the risk of infection when compared to those aged 0–6 months (odds ratio (OR) 3.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–8.88; p = 0.026). Children living in houses with more than one room (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.28–0.96; p = 0.036) and mothers using treated water (OR 0.47, 95% CI 0.25–0.86; p = 0.015) were associated with reduced infection. Conclusions In this study, infection with astrovirus was common in acute gastroenteritis cases among children younger than 5 years of age. Drinking treated water and living in non-crowded environments protected the children from infection.