Seroprevalence of dengue virus antibodies in healthy Jamaicans

Abstract

Dengue fever, a mosquito borne viral infection, is endemic to Jamaica. The seroprevalence of dengue IgG and IgM antibodies were determined in 277 healthy Jamaicans by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The seroprevalence of dengue IgG antibodies was 100% (277/277) while dengue IgM antibodies were found in 3.6% (10/277). A statistically significant association was found between the presence of dengue IgM antibodies and gender (males 10/105, 9.5% vs females 0/172, 0.0%); chi(2) = 17.0, p=0.000.The high seroprevalence rate of dengue IgG antibodies and the presence of dengue IgM in the healthy population are in keeping with the endemicity of the virus in Jamaica. Therefore tests for dengue IgG antibodies are of limited usefulness in Jamaica and can be safely excluded from diagnostic testing as a cost saving measure. Serological diagnosis of current dengue infection should be centred around the dengue IgM tests although the limitations in the predictive values of such tests should also be considered. The results also suggest that the risk of emergence of the more severe forms of dengue, dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) in the Jamaican population, due to the presence of enhancing antibodies, is high.

Detectable Anti-Dengue Virus Igm Antibodies Among Healthy Individuals in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria

“…The results show that dengue is a pediatric health problem considering the prevalence among age group of 0-15 years, which has also been reported by several international studies (Shah et al, 2006;Anderson et al, 2007). Females had 16.1% seroprevalence compare to that of male which is 18.9% and agrees with (Brown et al, 2009) who reported a statistical association of prevalence between males and females respectively as 9.55% and 0%. In some previous study, the higher prevalence of dengue infection was also noted among males than females (Gupta et al, 2005;Ukey et al, 2010;Kumar et al, 2010).…”

Dengue Outbreak in Hadramout, Yemen, 2010: An Epidemiological Perspective

“…High prevalence of dengue IgG in suspected cases during outbreaks suggests previous exposures and background endemicity preceding an outbreak. 11,20 Here, we note that there was a marked rise in CI and HI that coincided with the outbreak. These indicators dropped dramatically in conjunction with increased vector control efforts.…”

“…7,8 Children and young adults have been most often affected, [7][8][9][10] and high seroprevalence of dengue immunoglobulin G (IgG), particularly among younger age groups, along with frequently reported outbreaks suggest dengue endemicity within a country. 11 In endemic countries, dengue virus transmission occurs annually but with cyclic variations largely caused by environmental and climatic factors and human and vector behavior. 12 Underrecognition or underreporting because of limited resources or problems of accessibility limits the local description of dengue incidence and endemicity.…”

Seroprevalence of Seven Zoonotic Pathogens in Pregnant Women from the Caribbean

“…The results from this study agree with a recent publication on the prevalence of dengue virus antibody in healthy Jamaicans in which 100% of participants were seropositive. 13 Leptospirosis is an emerging bacterial zoonosis that has a greater incidence in tropical areas where conditions for transmission are favorable and many wild and domestic animals serve as reservoirs.…”