Chikungunya virus infection. A retrospective study of 107 cases.

A retrospective study of 107 cases of serologically proven chikungunya (CHIK) virus infection was undertaken. All respondents had contracted the disease at least 3 years previously; 87,9% had fully recovered, 3,7% experienced only occasional stiffness or mild discomfort, 2,8% had persistent residual joint stiffness but no pain, while 5,6% had persistent joint pain and stiffness and frequent effusions. Synovial fluid from 3 patients was analysed. All the patients with persistent joint pain and stiffness had very high antibody titres against CHIK virus.