The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity

ABSTRACT Post-chikungunya viral arthritis may persist for months to years after infection and is characterized by relapsing and remitting symptoms. This study investigates the relationship between autoantibodies and chikungunya arthritis severity, providing insights into arthritis pathogenesis. We a...

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Main Authors: Samantha Ansah-Dico, Ilana Heckler, Michelle Premazzi Papa, Alfonso Sucerquia Hernández, Jose Forero Mejía, Sarah Renee Tritsch, Evelyn Mendoza-Torres, Liliana Encinales, Andres Cadena Bonfanti, Abigale Marie Proctor, Jessica M. Wells, Daniela Díaz Hernández, Juan Manuel Pretelt Gazabon, Mónica Gómez Pulido, Sara Camila Castiblanco-Arroyave, Sammuel Joseph Simmens, Rebecca Lynch, Aileen Yu-hen Chang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American Society for Microbiology 2025-04-01
Series:Microbiology Spectrum
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Online Access:https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02656-24
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author Samantha Ansah-Dico
Ilana Heckler
Michelle Premazzi Papa
Alfonso Sucerquia Hernández
Jose Forero Mejía
Sarah Renee Tritsch
Evelyn Mendoza-Torres
Liliana Encinales
Andres Cadena Bonfanti
Abigale Marie Proctor
Jessica M. Wells
Daniela Díaz Hernández
Juan Manuel Pretelt Gazabon
Mónica Gómez Pulido
Sara Camila Castiblanco-Arroyave
Sammuel Joseph Simmens
Rebecca Lynch
Aileen Yu-hen Chang
author_facet Samantha Ansah-Dico
Ilana Heckler
Michelle Premazzi Papa
Alfonso Sucerquia Hernández
Jose Forero Mejía
Sarah Renee Tritsch
Evelyn Mendoza-Torres
Liliana Encinales
Andres Cadena Bonfanti
Abigale Marie Proctor
Jessica M. Wells
Daniela Díaz Hernández
Juan Manuel Pretelt Gazabon
Mónica Gómez Pulido
Sara Camila Castiblanco-Arroyave
Sammuel Joseph Simmens
Rebecca Lynch
Aileen Yu-hen Chang
author_sort Samantha Ansah-Dico
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Post-chikungunya viral arthritis may persist for months to years after infection and is characterized by relapsing and remitting symptoms. This study investigates the relationship between autoantibodies and chikungunya arthritis severity, providing insights into arthritis pathogenesis. We assessed arthritis measures in a cohort of serologically confirmed chikungunya cases from Colombia between 2019 and 2021 (n = 144). We measured arthritis disease severity, flare intensity, pain, and disability, then plasma antibody levels of rheumatoid factor IgM, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), anti-citrullinated α-enolase peptide 1 (CEP-1), anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), anti-citrullinated vimentin (Sa), and immunoglobulins produced in response to chikungunya, Zika and Mayaro. Finally, we examined the correlation between the arthritis measures with the titers of antibodies hypothesized to play a potential role in arthritis pathogenesis. Cases were characterized by moderate disease severity (Disease Activity Score-28 mean, 3.66 ± 1.23) in current arthritis flare with moderate intensity (Flare Score, 25.42 ± 12.38), moderate pain (61.47 ± 27.23 on visual analog scale 0–100), and some disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire 0.77 ± 0.58). After Bonferroni adjustment, there were no statistically significant correlations between the levels of antibodies and arthritis measures. Weak correlations between rheumatoid factor IgM with arthritis severity and pain (P < 0.01) and anti-CEP1 with disability (P < 0.05) were observed when unadjusted for multiple comparisons. The data suggest that autoantibodies, such as RF, anti-CCP, and anti-CEP-1, do not correlate with post-chikungunya arthritis disease severity, thus unlikely to significantly contribute to pathogenesis. Exposure to other arboviral infections was not related to worse post-chikungunya arthritis. This suggests that other pathways for arthritis disease pathogenesis should be examined.IMPORTANCEThis cohort study describes the correlation between levels of autoantibodies, viral antibodies, and arthritis outcomes, suggesting that autoantibodies known to play an important role in other autoimmune diseases do not correlate with chikungunya arthritis relapse disease severity and are unlikely to contribute significantly to arthritis pathogenesis. This suggests that other pathways for arthritis disease pathogenesis should be examined to identify diagnostic and prognostic markers of alphaviral arthritis.
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spelling doaj-art-268c926c453e4de08c574ea1f33ea0e42025-08-20T03:44:33ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyMicrobiology Spectrum2165-04972025-04-0113410.1128/spectrum.02656-24The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severitySamantha Ansah-Dico0Ilana Heckler1Michelle Premazzi Papa2Alfonso Sucerquia Hernández3Jose Forero Mejía4Sarah Renee Tritsch5Evelyn Mendoza-Torres6Liliana Encinales7Andres Cadena Bonfanti8Abigale Marie Proctor9Jessica M. Wells10Daniela Díaz Hernández11Juan Manuel Pretelt Gazabon12Mónica Gómez Pulido13Sara Camila Castiblanco-Arroyave14Sammuel Joseph Simmens15Rebecca Lynch16Aileen Yu-hen Chang17Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USADepartment of Scientific Affairs, EUROIMMUN US, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, USADepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USADepartment of Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USADepartment of Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USAGlobal Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USAAdvanced Biomedicine Research Group, Faculty of Health, Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad Libre de Colombia, Barranquilla, Atlantico, ColombiaDepartment of Medicine, Allied Research Society, Barranquilla, Atlántico, ColombiaCentro de Investigación, Clínica de la Costa SAS, Barranquilla, Atlántico, ColombiaGlobal Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, D.C., USADepartment of Quality Operations, EUROIMMUN US, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, USAPediatrics Department, Faculty of Health, Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad Libre de Colombia, Seccional Barranquilla, Barranquilla, Atlántico, ColombiaInternal Medicine Department. Faculty of Health, Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad Libre de Colombia, Seccional Barranquilla, Barranquilla, Atlántico, ColombiaMicrobiology Department. Faculty of Health, Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad Libre de Colombia, Seccional Barranquilla, Barranquilla, Atlántico, ColombiaInternal Medicine Department. Faculty of Health, Exact and Natural Sciences, Universidad Libre de Colombia, Seccional Barranquilla, Barranquilla, Atlántico, ColombiaDepartment of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Washington, D.C., USADepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USADepartment of Microbiology, Immunology and Tropical Medicine, George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USAABSTRACT Post-chikungunya viral arthritis may persist for months to years after infection and is characterized by relapsing and remitting symptoms. This study investigates the relationship between autoantibodies and chikungunya arthritis severity, providing insights into arthritis pathogenesis. We assessed arthritis measures in a cohort of serologically confirmed chikungunya cases from Colombia between 2019 and 2021 (n = 144). We measured arthritis disease severity, flare intensity, pain, and disability, then plasma antibody levels of rheumatoid factor IgM, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), anti-citrullinated α-enolase peptide 1 (CEP-1), anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), anti-citrullinated vimentin (Sa), and immunoglobulins produced in response to chikungunya, Zika and Mayaro. Finally, we examined the correlation between the arthritis measures with the titers of antibodies hypothesized to play a potential role in arthritis pathogenesis. Cases were characterized by moderate disease severity (Disease Activity Score-28 mean, 3.66 ± 1.23) in current arthritis flare with moderate intensity (Flare Score, 25.42 ± 12.38), moderate pain (61.47 ± 27.23 on visual analog scale 0–100), and some disability (Health Assessment Questionnaire 0.77 ± 0.58). After Bonferroni adjustment, there were no statistically significant correlations between the levels of antibodies and arthritis measures. Weak correlations between rheumatoid factor IgM with arthritis severity and pain (P < 0.01) and anti-CEP1 with disability (P < 0.05) were observed when unadjusted for multiple comparisons. The data suggest that autoantibodies, such as RF, anti-CCP, and anti-CEP-1, do not correlate with post-chikungunya arthritis disease severity, thus unlikely to significantly contribute to pathogenesis. Exposure to other arboviral infections was not related to worse post-chikungunya arthritis. This suggests that other pathways for arthritis disease pathogenesis should be examined.IMPORTANCEThis cohort study describes the correlation between levels of autoantibodies, viral antibodies, and arthritis outcomes, suggesting that autoantibodies known to play an important role in other autoimmune diseases do not correlate with chikungunya arthritis relapse disease severity and are unlikely to contribute significantly to arthritis pathogenesis. This suggests that other pathways for arthritis disease pathogenesis should be examined to identify diagnostic and prognostic markers of alphaviral arthritis.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02656-24chikungunya virusarthritisarthritis disease severityantibodiesautoantibodies
spellingShingle Samantha Ansah-Dico
Ilana Heckler
Michelle Premazzi Papa
Alfonso Sucerquia Hernández
Jose Forero Mejía
Sarah Renee Tritsch
Evelyn Mendoza-Torres
Liliana Encinales
Andres Cadena Bonfanti
Abigale Marie Proctor
Jessica M. Wells
Daniela Díaz Hernández
Juan Manuel Pretelt Gazabon
Mónica Gómez Pulido
Sara Camila Castiblanco-Arroyave
Sammuel Joseph Simmens
Rebecca Lynch
Aileen Yu-hen Chang
The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
Microbiology Spectrum
chikungunya virus
arthritis
arthritis disease severity
antibodies
autoantibodies
title The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
title_full The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
title_fullStr The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
title_full_unstemmed The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
title_short The role of autoantibodies in post-chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
title_sort role of autoantibodies in post chikungunya viral arthritis disease severity
topic chikungunya virus
arthritis
arthritis disease severity
antibodies
autoantibodies
url https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.02656-24
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