A Rapid Detection Tool for the Diagnosis of Chikungunya A Rapid Detection Tool for the Diagnosis of Chikungunya A Rapid Detection Tool for the Diagnosis of Chikungunya A Rapid Detection Tool for the Diagnosis of Chikungunya Virus Directly from Virus Directly from

In the last few years Aedes albopictus (well known as tiger mosquito) quickly and widely diffused in the Italian territory. These insects are ideal vectors for different Arboviruses, as Dengue virus (DenV), estimated to cause in the world about 50 millions of patients per year and as Chikungunya virus (ChikV), causing millions of patients per year. The Chikungunya virus appeared for the first time in Italy in 2007, in the Provinces of Ravenna, Rimini, Forli and Bologna, causing more than 300 human clinical cases and great alarm in the whole Italian population. This situation prompted our Institute to begin a surveillance plan for this virus and a monitoring program of the vector in the Marche region, a neighbour location near the first Italian ChikV outbreak. The aim of this plan was the reduction of the vector density and a very early individuation of human illness cases to prevent viral diffusion in this territory. For this purpose we have set up a diagnostic methodology for the rapid detection of the ChikV directly from vectors. Particularly, we have developed an end-point multiplex PCR (with an internal control for Aedes albopictus ), which allows to determine the presence of the virus directly in the sampled insects (captured through the use of BG-sentinel traps), obtained during the active entomological surveillance in the Marche region.