The new Chikungunya virus outbreak in Italy possibly originated from a single introduction from Asia

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus belonging to the Togaviridae family [1]. Chikungunya is a Makonde word (Bantu language) meaning The one which bends up. The term is related to the posture that the patient acquires as a consequence of the excruciating joint pain [2]. The virus is the cause of Chikungunya fever (CHIKV fever), a febrile illness associated with severe arthralgia and rash [3,4,5]. CHIKV is transmitted by culicine mosquitoes and can affect both arthropods and vertebrates [6,7]. The arthropod vectors are infected throughout their life cycle and those most commonly involved in transmission to vertebrates are Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Aedes polynesiensis, although transmission mediated by Culex has also been rarely reported [1,8,9]