Loading...
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a member of the Togaviridae family transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, causes a debilitating febrile illness associated with arthralgia and skin rash. Neither vaccine nor treatment is so far available for this public health problem, which is substantial in many tropical and subtropical regions where the vector is prevalent. Recent research has identified that CHIKV RNA-polymerase shares considerable homology with the respective enzymes of Flaviviridae such as hepatitis C virus, yellow fever virus, Zika virus, and dengue virus. Sofosbuvir, an RNA-polymerase inhibitor approved for hepatitis C treatment, also inhibits the RNA polymerases of the other Flaviviridae species, but whether CHIKV might also be susceptible has …