Data from: A scoping review of published literature on chikungunya virus

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has caused several major epidemics globally over
the last two decades and is quickly expanding into new areas. Although
this mosquito-borne disease is self-limiting and is not associated with
high mortality, it can lead to severe, chronic and disabling arthritis,
thereby posing a heavy burden to healthcare systems. The two main vectors
for CHIKV are Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito);
however, many other mosquito species have been described as competent
CHIKV vectors in scientific literature. With climate change, globalization
and unfettered urban planning affecting many areas, CHIKV poses a
significant public health risk to many countries. A scoping review was
conducted to collate and categorize all pertinent information gleaned from
published scientific literature on a priori defined aspects of CHIKV and
its competent vectors. After developing a sensitive and specific search
algorithm for the research question, seven databases were searched and
data was extracted from 1920 relevant articles. Results show that CHIKV
research is reported predominantly in areas after major epidemics have
occurred. There has been an upsurge in CHIKV publications since 2011,
especially after first reports of CHIKV emergence in the Americas. A list
of hosts and vectors that could potentially be involved in the sylvatic
and urban transmission cycles of CHIKV has been compiled in this scoping
review. In addition, a repository of CHIKV mutations associated with
evolutionary fitness and adaptation has been created by compiling and
characterizing these genetic variants as reported in scientific
literature.