Epidemiological implications of the genetic diversification of dengue virus (DENV) serotypes and genotypes in Mexico

Abstract

Variation and clade shifts in dengue virus (DENV) genotypes are responsible for numerous dengue fever outbreaks throughout Latin America in the past decade. Molecular analyses of dengue serotypes have revealed extensive genetic diversification and the emergence of new genotypes in Brazil (DENV-4 genotype I) and elsewhere in tropical and subtropical America. The goal of the present study is to assess the extent to which the adventitious introduction of DENV genotypes and their increasing genetic diversity affects dengue epidemiology in Mexico. A nuanced sequence inspection and phylogenetic analysis of the C-prM nucleotide region of DENV was performed for specimens collecting in 2009 from the Veracruz State, Mexico. Findings were contrasted with specimens collected in adjacent years and analysed based on the epidemiological patterns reported between 1990 and 2019. Additionally, the identification process of various DENV genotypes was assessed, including: (1) DENV-1, genotype V, (2) the DENV-2 Asian/American and Asian II genotypes (3) DENV-3, genotype III, and (4) DENV-4, genotype I. This resulted in the discovery of a distinct genetic cladistic pattern for serotype DENV-2. Lastly, study findings suggest that a correlation exists between the emergence of novel genotypes and genetic diversification, with the increasing incidence of DENV infections in Mexico in 2009.

Spatio-temporal dynamics of dengue-related deaths and associated factors

“…Molecular epidemiology studies have associated the presence or absence of symptoms in infected people with DENV and their frequencies, as well as the increase in the number of dengue cases and their severity, with circulation of different serotypes and diversity of DENV genotypes 27 , 32 - 34 , indicating the importance of a genotypic surveillance alongside other epidemiological surveillance activities. In a case reported in Brazil, in 2019, the occurrence of death from dengue was associated with a viral lineage that had not been detected in the country before 35 .…”

Epidemiological profile of arboviruses in two different scenarios: dengue circulation vs. dengue, chikungunya and Zika co-circulation

“…Although the climate may influence the vector population and, consequently, the dengue numbers [ 11 , 13 , 14 ], only humidity in 2011 was significantly different among the analyzed years. Another factor potentially related to the fluctuation of dengue cases is the (re)introduction and/or predominance of different serotypes and/or viral genotypes [ 7 , 8 , 34 ]. The four DENV serotypes circulated in different Brazilian regions during 2011–2013 [ 10 , 35 , 36 ], however, to the best of our knowledge, there is no description of which serotypes circulated in Recife during this period.…”

Antibody escape, the risk of serotype formation, and rapid immune waning: modeling the implications of SARS-CoV-2 immune evasion

“…The existence of serotypes for other human pathogens (e.g. dengue) has made their control more complicated, as tests and vaccines have to be created to match each serotype [46]. Co-circulation of SARS-CoV-2 serotypes would increase demand on already-strained global sequencing systems for tracking viral evolution and may exacerbate the challenge of matching vaccines and therapeutics to circulating variants.…”