Both serotypes are zoonotic and the presence of hybrid VR plasmids may confer an adaptive advantage under certain conditions, resulting in bacterial strains that are more difficult to treat and have a higher epidemic potential.
Given that a higher epidemic potential was associated with the E1-A226V mutation, we performed comparative studies using the 37997 African prototype strain and the LR-OPY1 virus isolated during Reunion Island epidemic that bears a mutated envelope glycoprotein.
Substitution of the A226 residue in E1, that was previously observed to impact membrane fusion and more precisely cholesterol dependence, using a SFV model of infection [28], [29], was proposed to be responsible for the increased transmissibility and higher epidemic potential of CHIKV [26].
However, for higher epidemic intensities, relative damage increased steeply, whatever the resistance gene.
The gain was found to be greater for higher epidemic intensities than for landscapes in which between-field infections prevailed (Figs 2 vs 3 for ).
Differences in temporal trends between the provinces are apparent in Figure 2, panel B, which shows that in terms of per capita incidence, substantially higher epidemic peaks are reached in provinces outside HCMC than within HCMC.
