Molecular epidemiological characteristics of dengue virus carried by 34 patients in Guangzhou in 2018

PLoS One. 2019 Nov 14;14(11):e0224676. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224676. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Dengue fever is a major worldwide public health problem that, as estimated by the WHO, causes epidemics in over 100 countries, resulting in hundreds of millions of dengue virus (DENV) infections every year. In China, dengue fever mainly occurs in coastal areas. Recurring dengue outbreaks were reported by Guangdong Province almost every year since the first epidemic in 1978. DENV infections persisted in Guangzhou in consecutive years since 2000, with the dengue epidemic reaching a historical peak in 2014. Because Guangzhou is one of the largest cities for opening up in China, understanding the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever in the city can hopefully provide a significant basis for developing effective dengue prevention strategies. In this study, a total of 34 DENV strains, including 29 DENV-1 strains and 5 DENV-2 strains, were isolated from a blood samples drawn from patients who were diagnosed with dengue fever by hospitals in Guangzhou during 2018. To explore the epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever, the envelope (E) gene obtained from the isolates was amplified for phylogenetic analysis. The results from the phylogenetic analysis showed that DENV in Guangzhou was mainly imported from Southeast Asian countries. Additionally, propagation paths based on phylogeographical analysis suggested potential local dengue transmission in Guangzhou.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • China / epidemiology
  • Dengue / epidemiology*
  • Dengue / genetics*
  • Dengue Virus / growth & development*
  • Dengue Virus / isolation & purification
  • Epidemics*
  • Female
  • Genotype*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Molecular Epidemiology
  • Phylogeny*
  • Phylogeography

Grants and funding

This work was supported by 81803813, to Li G, from National Nature Science Foundation of China; 201804010029, to Li G, from Science & Technology Planning Project of Guangzhou; SKLNMKF201906, to Li G, from The Open Project of State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines; A1-AFD018191A17, to Liu XH, from Key Research Projects of GZUCM First-class universities and Top Disciplines; 2018KCXTD007, to Liu XH, from Science & Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province Office of Education; 2014GKXM032, to Lai XP, from Science & Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province Office of Education; 81973549, to Li G, from National Nature Science Foundation of China.