Detection of Dengue Virus From Aedes aegypti (Diptera, Culicidae) in Field-Caught Samples From Makkah Al-Mokarramah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Using RT-PCR

Abstract

Dengue fever (DF) is endemic to Makkah and Jeddah, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). However, until recently, the circulation of dengue virus (DENV) in Aedes mosquitoes in these areas was unknown. Serological surveillance of DENV in Ae aegypti is a powerful tool for early detection of dengue outbreaks and essential for developing effective control strategies. Therefore, this research aimed to examine a sample of adult Ae aegypti mosquitoes from Makkah, KSA, to detect DENV. In total, 1295 Ae aegypti mosquitoes were collected from the field from target areas of Makkah with a high incidence and prevalence of DF. The samples were divided into 259 coded pools (five mosquitoes in each) and preserved in 1.5 mL plastic tubes. The tubes were labeled, capped, and stored at−86°C until use. RT-PCR was used to detect DENV in the samples. All positive pools were confirmed by RT-PCR. The RT-PCR products were analyzed by gel electrophoresis (1.5% agarose in Tris-acetate EDTA buffer), stained with ethidium bromide, and visualized. DENV was isolated from six female Ae Aegypti collected from six pools (out of 259 pools). No other viruses were detected. Only five of the nine target localities had positive pools. Samples from the remaining four localities yielded negative results. Four DENV-positive mosquitoes were collected at the aquatic stages, and two were collected at the adult stage. These results show the circulation of DENV in adult mosquitoes and offspring, indicating vertical transmission of DENV. In conclusion, this study found that, in Makkah, DENV is circulating in dengue vectors with a high significance rate, suggesting the possibility of a dengue outbreak in the future; therefore, a sensitive surveillance system is vital to predict the outbreak and for early intervention and control.

Gender- and Age-Stratified Aedes Mosquito Rising and Dengue Burden During COVID- 19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia

“…These results showed the percentage of people response was so low due to sanitation and environment monitoring, advice and COVID-19. Yet, municipality team, MOH and private partners should be more prepared and build future crisis resilience strategies against fear of COVID-19 infection and readily carried community and household engagement and tracking/monitoring, and there was little information and data COVID-19 restrictions adherence, and COVID-vaccination coverage and compliance [3,20].…”

Dengue Outbreak in Pakistan: Impact on Global Mass Gathering Events?

“…Dengue disease and its vector are present in the Western regions of Saudi Arabia, in Jeddah and Mecca, and there are growing concerns about importing new dengue cases into the Hajj premises which could lead to an increase in case transmission among pilgrims, mainly due to the inflow of people from endemic countries like Pakistan, which is already seeing a spike in local cases. Besides disease dissemination inside Saudi Arabia, there is an increased risk of disease transfer to other nations since travelers can become infected and carry the disease to their respective countries, providing a higher public health concern in countries where the mosquito vector is present (10). Saudi Arabia already has a robust infectious disease surveillance system in place for Hajj and Umrah (9); however, the health authorities in Saudi Arabia should be prepared for a possible surge in dengue cases as the pilgrims from Pakistan could arrive with asymptomatic or mild disease, where the dengue outbreak is already going on in the country, worsened by the current flood situation.…”

Review of One Health in the Galápagos Islands (Part 1): Historical Perspective, Invasive Species, and Emerging Infectious Diseases

“…Several groups have reported molecular surveillance protocols to identify invasive arthropods from mixed-species samples on insect traps (Butterworth et al, 2022; Mee et al, 2021). In addition, eastern equine encephalitis virus, WNV, yellow fever virus, and dengue virus can be identified from mosquitoes via PCR (Hadfield et al, 2001;Ali et al, 2022). These strategies may prove useful in surveilling for new introduction events at airports or selected environmental sites.…”