Chikungunya virus: an update on antiviral development and challenges

• There is an urgent need for antivirals against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a medically significant virus.
• Novel compounds with viral targets offer a new direction for anti-CHIKV research.
• More research into CHIKV biology is required to identify new viral targets.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has re-emerged as a significant public health threat since the 2005 chikungunya fever epidemic in La Réunion. Driven by the medical importance of this virus, as well as the lack of approved antivirals, research into the field of CHIKV antivirals has recently intensified. Potential therapeutics that have been reported to show anti-CHIKV activity in vitro range from known broad-spectrum antivirals like chloroquine to novel strategies involving RNA silencing technology. Although most of the earlier efforts focused on compounds that target host components, some recent studies have reported viral targets such as nonstructural proteins. This article examines the reported in vitro and in vivo efficacies, as well as the therapeutic potential of these antiviral compounds.