Circulation of Asian-I and Cosmopolitan genotypes of Dengue-2 virus in northeast India, 2016-2017

• Published in: Journal of vector borne diseases Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 231 - 236
• Main Authors: Ujwal, S, Sabeena, S, Bhaskar, R, D'Souza, G, Santhosha, D, Auti, A, Kumar, R, Ramachandran, S, Hindol, Maity, Aithal, A, Bhandari, Y, Jazeel, A, Arunkumar, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Delhi Wolters Kluwer - Medknow Publications 01.07.2019; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Amino acids; Dengue fever; Dengue virus; dengue; denv-2; envelope gene; genotypes; northeast india; Epidemics; Ethics; Gene amplification; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genomes; Genotype & phenotype; Glycoproteins; Illnesses; Laboratories; Phylogenetics; Polymerase chain reaction; Surveillance; Myanmar; India; United States > US; Myanmar (Burma)
• ISSN: 0972-9062
• DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.289402

Background & objectives: Dengue is a major public health problem in northeast India where the majority of the cases go unreported and undiagnosed. Even though all four dengue serotypes are reported, there is a dearth of information on genetic diversity. The present cross-sectional study was undertaken during 2016-17 to determine the genetic variance of dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV-2) based on the envelope (E) glycoprotein gene. Methods: The serum samples collected from the northeast parts of India, as a part of hospital-based acute febrile illness surveillance, were serotyped. Viral RNA was extracted from DENV-2 serum samples using QIAquick® RNA Extraction Kit. The E gene was amplified by conventional reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and the PCR products were sequenced. Results: The E glycoprotein gene of nine serum samples with high viral RNA concentration (Ct <25) was sequenced. The E gene sequences of eight DENV-2 strains from Assam and Meghalaya aligned with genotype IV (Cosmopolitan) and one strain from Tripura segregated with Asian-I genotype. Interpretation & conclusion: Ongoing laboratory-based surveillance is mandatory to understand the transmission dynamics of dengue in endemic countries. This study concluded that in northeast India, presently two distinct genotypes of DENV-2, namely genotype IVb (Cosmopolitan) and Asian-I genotype are in circulation.