Chikungunya Immunochromatography Blood
What is this test?
This test helps to find the chikungunya virus in the blood. This test is also performed during and after the treatment of chikungunya infection to evaluate the treatment response.
What is Chikungunya and Chikungunya Antibodies?
Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by Alphavirus. It is transmitted to humans by the infected mosquitoes. It is rarely fatal and has been identified in nearly forty 40 countries. The virus remains in the human body for 5-7 days. Chikungunya has similar symptoms as dengue and one can misdiagnosis the disease. Individuals who are suffering from chikungunya may have symptoms such as nausea, muscle pain, fatigue, high fever, joint pains, swelling of the joint, etc.
Chikungunya antibodies are the antibodies produced by the immune system to fight the chikungunya.
Why this test is performed:-
This test is performed to check the presence of Chikungunya virus in the blood. The doctor may ask you to undergo this test if you are suffering from symptoms such as high fever, joint swelling, joint pain, rashes, severe headache, muscle pain, nausea, fatigue, etc.
If you are on treatment for Chikungunya, the doctor may ask you to perform this test to evaluate and to check the effectiveness of the treatment. Mostly, this test is done along with other tests to confirm the diagnosis.
How often this test should be performed:
If you have been diagnosed with chikungunya, your doctor may advise you to get this test done once in a year based on your clinical condition. If you are a healthy individual above the age of 35, your doctor may advise you to undergo this test either on a yearly basis or every other year.
Precautions:
Contaminated blood samples may give false positive results. In such cases, it is recommended to do a new sample collection and repeat the test.
Test Preparation
Inform your doctor if you are on any medications, have any allergies or underlying medical conditions before your Chikungunya Immunochromatography Blood. Your doctor will give specific instructions depending on your condition on how to prepare for Chikungunya Immunochromatography Blood.
There are no specific preparations required for this test.
Understanding your test results
The test results may be different depending on gender, age, health conditions, and other factors.
If the test results are negative, it may indicate the absence of chikungunya virus in the blood.
If the results are negative in individuals receiving treatment for chikungunya, it may indicate that the individual is more likely or likely showing response to treatment.
If the test results are positive, then it may indicate the presence of chikungunya in the blood.
In individuals receiving treatment for chikungunya infection, if the test results are positive it indicates a poor response to the treatment. Presence of chikungunya in the blood after the treatment may indicate recurrence of the infection.
| Gender | Age groups | Value |
| MALE | All age groups | A viral load is seen in patients who are infected with the virus. Else, the result is negative |
| FEMALE | All age groups | A viral load is seen in patients who are infected with the virus. Else, the result is negative |