Severe chikungunya infection in a returned traveler from Sri Lanka to Australia
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an Aedes-transmitted alphavirus that causes explosive outbreaks of febrile arthritogenic disease. We report a case of chikungunya meningoencephalitis, severe thrombocytopenia and retroperitoneal hemorrhage in an immunocompetent 64-year-old Australian traveler, returning from Sri Lanka in 2025. The infecting strain clustered with the Indian Ocean Lineage that circulated in Sri Lanka during the 2024-2025 outbreak. We highlight the risk of severe chikungunya in travelers returning from destinations with ongoing outbreaks.
Authors
- C. C. Tchoyoson Lim
- Stephen Muhi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3161-8199)
- Davidson H. Hamer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4700-1495)
- Karin Leder
- Ralph Huits
- Nicholas Malcolm
Institutions
- Boston University (US)
- The Royal Melbourne Hospital (AU)
- Ospedale Sacro Cuore Don Calabria (IT)
- Peter Doherty Institute (AU)
- Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Travel Medicine and Infectious Disease
- Published
- 2026-03-11
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmaid.2026.102969
- Primary Topic
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00