Serological and Molecular Survey for Dengue Virus Infection in Suspected Febrile Patients in Selected Local Government Areas in Adamawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

Dengue is a disease caused by the dengue virus that is primarily transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Currently, the disease poses a threat to public health, with about 390 million people reported to be infected annually across the endemic regions of the world. In Nigeria, the disease is under-reported and often misdiagnosed as malaria. This study was designed to conduct a serological and molecular survey for dengue virus infection in febrile patients in three Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Adamawa State, Nigeria, from September through December 2020. Serum samples from 424 patients were analysed by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (CALBIOTECH, Dengue Virus IgM ELISA). Thick and thin smear microscopic techniques were used to determine the presence of malaria parasites. Overall, 19.4% patients were sero-positive for dengue in the three study locations. A total of 11%, 14.5% and 12.3% participants were found to be co-infected with dengue and malaria in Mubi, Jimeta and Numan, respectively. The CDC DENV1-4 RT-PCR Assay reagent was used for serotype-specific detection and identification of circulating serotypes. From the ELISA-positive samples, 11 (2.6%) cases were confirmed to be dengue serotype 1 by Real-Time PCR and sequencing and were found to be in circulation in all the three study areas. With an overall sero-prevalence of 19.4%, dengue virus infection may be one of the major causes of febrile illnesses across the study locations; hence, public healthcare professionals should not neglect other aetiologies of febrile illnesses and the need to conduct laboratory diagnoses to determine the possible causes of febrile illnesses.

Keywords

• <i>Aedes</i>
• dengue
• febrile
• malaria
• misdiagnosis
• serotyping