Overview

• La Jolla Institute for Immunology researchers found that Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection triggers chronic, arthritis-like joint pain in some patients through immune system dysregulation.
• The study revealed that CD4+ T cells dominate the immune response to CHIKV, with 87% of patients retaining CHIKV-specific memory CD4+ T cells six years post-infection.
• Patients with chronic joint pain exhibited monofunctional CD4+ T cells producing TNF-alpha, a pro-inflammatory molecule linked to sustained joint inflammation.
• This is the first human evidence directly connecting CD4+ T cell-driven inflammation to chronic arthritis after CHIKV infection, highlighting potential for anti-TNF biologics as a treatment option.
• Ongoing research is investigating why middle-aged women are disproportionately affected and exploring parallels with other viruses like dengue and SARS-CoV-2 in triggering autoimmune-like diseases.