Mayaro Virus Disease: An Emerging Mosquito‐Borne Zoonosis in Tropical South America

TLDR

Mayaro virus disease is a nonfatal, dengue‑like illness presenting with fever, chills, headache, eye pain, myalgia, arthralgia, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, and often severe joint pain that can persist for months. This report describes the clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological findings of 27 Mayaro virus cases. The study examines these findings in an emerging mosquito‑borne viral illness endemic to rural tropical South America. The report documents two U.S.

Abstract

This report describes the clinical, laboratory, and epidemiological findings on 27 cases of Mayaro virus (MV) disease, an emerging mosquito-borne viral illness that is endemic in rural areas of tropical South America. MV disease is a nonfatal, dengue-like illness characterized by fever, chills, headache, eye pain, generalized myalgia, arthralgia, diarrhea, vomiting, and rash of 3–5 days' duration. Severe joint pain is a prominent feature of this illness; the arthralgia sometimes persists for months and can be quite incapacitating. Cases of two visitors from the United States, who developed MV disease during visits to eastern Peru, are reported. MV disease and dengue are difficult to differentiate clinically.