Chikungunya Virus Evades Antiviral CD8 + T Cell Responses To Establish Persistent Infection in Joint-Associated Tissues

Abstract

CHIKV is a reemerging mosquito-transmitted virus that in the last decade has spread into Europe, Asia, the Pacific Region, and the Americas. Joint pain, swelling, and stiffness can endure for months to years after CHIKV infection, and epidemics have a severe economic impact. Elucidating the mechanisms by which CHIKV subverts antiviral immunity to establish and maintain a persistent infection may lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies against chronic CHIKV disease. In this study, we found that CHIKV establishes and maintains a persistent infection in joint-associated tissue in part by evading antiviral CD8 + T cell immunity. Thus, immunomodulatory therapies that improve CD8 + T cell immune surveillance and clearance of CHIKV infection could be a strategy for mitigating chronic CHIKV disease.