Genetic Diversity and Dispersal of DENGUE Virus among Three Main Island Groups of the Philippines during 2015–2017
Ava Kristy Sy,
Carmen Koo,
Kristine J. R. Privaldos,
Mary Ann T. Quinones,
Mary A. U. Igoy,
Sharon Y. A. M. Villanueva,
Martin L. Hibberd,
Lee Ching Ng,
Hapuarachchige C. Hapuarachchi
Affiliations
Ava Kristy Sy
National Reference Laboratory for Dengue and Other Arbovirus, Virology Department, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Filinvest Corporate City Compound, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781, Philippines
Carmen Koo
Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, 11, Biopolis Way, #06-05-08, Singapore 138667, Singapore
Kristine J. R. Privaldos
National Reference Laboratory for Dengue and Other Arbovirus, Virology Department, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Filinvest Corporate City Compound, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781, Philippines
Mary Ann T. Quinones
National Reference Laboratory for Dengue and Other Arbovirus, Virology Department, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Filinvest Corporate City Compound, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781, Philippines
Mary A. U. Igoy
National Reference Laboratory for Dengue and Other Arbovirus, Virology Department, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Filinvest Corporate City Compound, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781, Philippines
Sharon Y. A. M. Villanueva
Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Public Health, University of the Philippines Manila, 625, Pedro Gil Street, Ermita, Manila 1000, Philippines
Martin L. Hibberd
Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Lee Ching Ng
Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, 11, Biopolis Way, #06-05-08, Singapore 138667, Singapore
Hapuarachchige C. Hapuarachchi
Environmental Health Institute, National Environment Agency, 11, Biopolis Way, #06-05-08, Singapore 138667, Singapore
Dengue has been one of the major public health concerns in the Philippines for more than a century. The annual dengue case burden has been increasing in recent years, exceeding 200,000 in 2015 and 2019. However, there is limited information on the molecular epidemiology of dengue in the Philippines. We, therefore, conducted a study to understand the genetic composition and dispersal of DENV in the Philippines from 2015 to 2017 under UNITEDengue. Our analyses included 377 envelope (E) gene sequences of all 4 serotypes obtained from infections in 3 main island groups (Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao) of the Philippines. The findings showed that the overall diversity of DENV was generally low. DENV-1 was relatively more diverse than the other serotypes. Virus dispersal was evident among the three main island groups, but each island group demonstrated a distinct genotype composition. These observations suggested that the intensity of virus dispersal was not substantive enough to maintain a uniform heterogeneity among island groups so that each island group behaved as an independent epidemiological unit. The analyses suggested Luzon as one of the major sources of DENV emergence and CAR, Calabarzon, and CARAGA as important hubs of virus dispersal in the Philippines. Our findings highlight the importance of virus surveillance and molecular epidemiological analyses to gain deep insights into virus diversity, lineage dominance, and dispersal patterns that could assist in understanding the epidemiology and transmission risk of dengue in endemic regions.
