A Retrospective Study of the Seroprevalence of Dengue Virus and Chikungunya Virus Exposures in Nigeria, 2010–2018
Pius S. Ekong,
Mabel K. Aworh,
Elysse N. Grossi-Soyster,
Yiltawe S. Wungak,
Nanven A. Maurice,
Jonathan Altamirano,
Michael J. Ekong,
Babasola O. Olugasa,
Chika I. Nwosuh,
David Shamaki,
Bonto Faburay,
Desiree A. LaBeaud
Affiliations
Pius S. Ekong
Central Diagnostic Laboratory, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom P.M.B 01, Nigeria
Mabel K. Aworh
Department of Veterinary and Pests Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Abuja 900247, Nigeria
Elysse N. Grossi-Soyster
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Yiltawe S. Wungak
Central Diagnostic Laboratory, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom P.M.B 01, Nigeria
Nanven A. Maurice
Central Diagnostic Laboratory, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom P.M.B 01, Nigeria
Jonathan Altamirano
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Michael J. Ekong
Medical Microbiology and Parasitology Department, University College Hospital, Ibadan P.M.B 3017, Nigeria
Babasola O. Olugasa
Centre for Control and Prevention of Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan P.M.B 3017, Nigeria
Chika I. Nwosuh
Central Diagnostic Laboratory, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom P.M.B 01, Nigeria
David Shamaki
Central Diagnostic Laboratory, National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom P.M.B 01, Nigeria
Bonto Faburay
Scientific Liaison Services Section, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Plum Island Animal Disease Center, United States Department of Agriculture, New York, NY 11957, USA
Desiree A. LaBeaud
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Arboviruses are important public health threats in many regions of the world. Nigeria has experienced outbreaks of arboviruses over the past decades, leading to concerns of widespread endemicity, which are frequently misdiagnosed. This study aimed to determine the seroprevalence of dengue virus (DENV) (a flavivirus) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) (an alphavirus) infections in three major population centers of Nigeria. A convenience sample of 701 sera was collected from both healthy and febrile participants between August 2010 and March 2018. Sera were tested for prior exposure to CHIKV virus and DENV using indirect IgG ELISA. Results showed that 54.1% (379/701) of participants were seropositive for anti-DENV antibodies, 41.3% (290/701) were seropositive for anti-CHIKV antibodies, and 20.1% (141/701) had previous exposure to both. The seropositivity for prior CHIKV exposure and prior exposure to DENV and CHIKV was significantly associated with age (CHIKV: OR = 2.7 (95% CI: 1.7–4.3); DENV and CHIKV: OR = 2.2 (95% CI: 1.2–4.0) for adults compared to participants under 18 years old). Overall, the high seropositivity across all age groups suggests that arboviral infections are prevalent in Nigeria and indicates that surveillance and further epidemiological studies are required to determine the true burden of these infections and the spectrum of diseases associated with these exposures.
