A Mouse Model for Studying Post-Acute Arthritis of Chikungunya

Aileen Y. Chang; Sarah R. Tritsch; Abigail J. Porzucek; Arnold M. Schwartz; Margaux Seyler-Schmidt; Arielle Glass; Patricia S. Latham; St. Patrick Reid; Gary L. Simon; Christopher N. Mores

doi:10.3390/microorganisms9091998

Microorganisms (Sep 2021)

A Mouse Model for Studying Post-Acute Arthritis of Chikungunya

Aileen Y. Chang,
Sarah R. Tritsch,
Abigail J. Porzucek,
Arnold M. Schwartz,
Margaux Seyler-Schmidt,
Arielle Glass,
Patricia S. Latham,
St. Patrick Reid,
Gary L. Simon,
Christopher N. Mores

Affiliations

Aileen Y. Chang: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave 5-416, Washington, DC 20037, USA
Sarah R. Tritsch: Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Abigail J. Porzucek: Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Arnold M. Schwartz: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
Margaux Seyler-Schmidt: Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Arielle Glass: Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
Patricia S. Latham: Department of Pathology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
St. Patrick Reid: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68182, USA
Gary L. Simon: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, 2150 Pennsylvania Ave 5-416, Washington, DC 20037, USA
Christopher N. Mores: Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9091998
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9, no. 9
p. 1998

Abstract

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Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) was introduced to the Americas in 2013, causing two million infections across over thirty countries. CHIKV causes a chronic debilitating arthritis in one fourth of infected individuals and currently evidence-based targeted therapies for the treatment of CHIKV arthritis are lacking. Multiple mouse models of chikungunya have been developed to study acute CHIKV infection. In humans, post-CHIKV arthritis may persist for months to years after viremia from a CHIKV infection has resolved. Therefore, the development of a mouse model of post-acute arthritis of chikungunya may facilitate the study of potential novel therapeutics for this arthritis. In this article we describe the development of a wild-type immunocompetent C57BL/6 mouse model for post-acute arthritis of chikungunya, including a histologic inflammation scoring system, as well as suggestions for how this mouse model may be used to examine the efficacy of novel therapies for CHIKV arthritis.

Published in Microorganisms

ISSN: 2076-2607 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/microorganisms

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