Frontiers in Genetics (May 2024)

Molecular epidemiology of dengue in Malaysia: 2015–2021

  • Yu Kie Chem,
  • Surya Pavan Yenamandra,
  • Chee Keong Chong,
  • Rose Nani Mudin,
  • Ming Keong Wan,
  • Norazimah Tajudin,
  • Rehan Shuhada Abu Bakar,
  • Mohd Asri Yamin,
  • Rokiah Yahya,
  • Chia-Chen Chang,
  • Carmen Koo,
  • Lee Ching Ng,
  • Lee Ching Ng,
  • Lee Ching Ng,
  • Hapuarachchige Chanditha Hapuarachchi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2024.1368843
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15

Abstract

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Dengue has been one of the major public health problems in Malaysia for decades. Over 600,000 dengue cases and 1,200 associated fatalities have been reported in Malaysia from 2015 to 2021, which was 100% increase from the cumulative total of dengue cases reported during the preceding 07-year period from 2008 to 2014. However, studies that describe the molecular epidemiology of dengue in Malaysia in recent years are limited. In the present study, we describe the genetic composition and dispersal patterns of Dengue virus (DENV) by using 4,004 complete envelope gene sequences of all four serotypes (DENV-1 = 1,567, DENV-2 = 1,417, DENV-3 = 762 and DENV-4 = 258) collected across Malaysia from 2015 to 2021. The findings revealed that DENV populations in Malaysia were highly diverse, and the overall heterogeneity was maintained through repetitive turnover of genotypes. Phylogeography analyses suggested that DENV dispersal occurred through an extensive network, mainly among countries in South and East Asia and Malaysian states, as well as among different states, especially within Peninsular Malaysia. The results further suggested Selangor and Johor as major hubs of DENV emergence and spread in Malaysia.

Keywords