Genetic Diversity and Dispersal of DENGUE Virus among Three Main Island Groups of the Philippines during 2015–2017

Abstract

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.

Molecular epidemiology of dengue in Malaysia: 2015–2021

“…Complementary DNA (cDNA) was synthesized by using extracted viral RNA and random hexamer primers, according to the protocol recommended for SuperScript III first-strand synthesis system kit (Life Technologies, Carlsbad, United States). The complete E gene of each serotype was amplified by using serotype-specific primers as per the protocol described elsewhere ( Lee et al, 2012 ; Sy et al, 2023 ). PCR amplicons (DENV-1 = 1,780 bp; DENV-2 = 1,770 bp; DENV-3 = 1,711 bp; DENV-4 = 1,907 bp) were visualized in 1% agarose gels and were purified by using the QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) prior to sequencing at a commercial facility according to the BigDye Terminator Cycle Sequencing kit protocol (Applied Biosystems, United States).…”

In Silico identification of dengue NS5 phytochemical inhibitors as potential antiviral drug compounds via molecular docking

“…From a molecular perspective, dengue virus is a singlestranded RNA virus classified within the Flavivirus genus of the Flaviviridae family (Endale et al 2021). DENVs can be categorized into four serotypes, namely DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4 (Ullah et al 2023); though all serotypes are genetically similar, DENV-3 has been observed to have a more widespread distribution compared to the rest of the serotypes (Bravo et al 2014;Dieng et al 2021;Rimal et al 2023;Sy et al 2023;Tchetgna et al 2021). A dengue virus serotype contains an 11kb RNA genome that also houses a significant protein called NS5.…”