The emergence of an imported variant of dengue virus serotype 2 in the Jazan region, southwestern Saudi Arabia

• Published in: Tropical Diseases, Travel Medicine and Vaccines
• Main Authors: Ommer Dafalla, Ahmed A. Abdulhaq, Hatim Almutairi, Elsiddig Noureldin, Jaber Ghzwani, Omar Mashi, Khalid J. Shrwani, Yahya Hobani, Ohood Sufyani, Reem Ayed, Abdullah Alamri, Hesham M. Al-Mekhlafi, Zaki M. Eisa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2023
• Subjects: Dengue virus; Virus evolution; Infectious diseases; Imported variant; Serotype; Jazan; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40794-023-00188-8; https://doaj.org/article/93b054d717bf45f1a040650ca130cede

Abstract Background Dengue virus (DENV) infection is a global economic and public health concern, particularly in tropical and subtropical countries where it is endemic. Saudi Arabia has seen an increase in DENV infections, especially in the western and southwestern regions. This study aims to investigate the genetic variants of DENV-2 that were circulating during a serious outbreak in Jazan region in 2019. Methods A total of 482 serum samples collected during 2019 from Jazan region were tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect and classify DENV; positive samples underwent sequencing and bioinformatics analyses. Results Out of 294 positive samples, type-specific RT-PCR identified 58.8% as DENV-2 but could not identify 41.2%. Based on sequencing and bioinformatics analyses, the samples tested PCR positive in the first round but PCR negative in the second round were found to be imported genetic variant of DENV-2. The identified DENV-2 imported variant showed similarities to DENV-2 sequences reported in Malaysia, Singapore, Korea and China. The results revealed the imported genetic variant of DENV-2 was circulating in Jazan region that was highly prevalent and it was likely a major factor in this outbreak. Conclusions The emergence of imported DENV variants is a serious challenge for the dengue fever surveillance and control programmes in endemic areas. Therefore, further investigations and continuous surveillance of existing and new viral strains in the region are warranted.