Sylvatic dengue virus type 4 in < i > Aedes aegypti < /i > and < i > Aedes albopictus < /i > mosquitoes in an urban setting in Peninsular Malaysia

by Nur Alia Johari, Kenny Voon, Shen Yung Toh, Lokman Hakim Sulaiman, Ivan Kok Seng Yap, Patricia Kim Chooi Lim Dengue fever is endemic in Malaysia, contributing to significant economic and health burden in the country.Aedes aegypti andAe.albopictus are the main vectors of the dengue virus (DENV), which circulates in sylvatic and human transmission cycles and has been present in Malaysia for decades. The study investigated the presence and distribution of DENV in urban localities in the Klang Valley, Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 364Ae.aegypti and 1,025Ae.albopictus larvae, and 10Ae.aegypti and 42Ae.albopictus adult mosquitoes were screened for the presence of DENV. In total, 31 (2.2%) samples were positive, of which 2Ae.albopictus larvae were co-infected with two serotypes, one with DENV-2 and DENV-3 and the other with DENV-3 and DENV-4. Phylogenetic analysis determined that the isolates belonged to DENV-1 genotype I (1Ae.aegypti adult), DENV-2 (1Ae.albopictus larva), DENV-3 genotype V (3Ae.aegypti larvae and 10Ae.albopictus larvae) and DENV-4 genotype IV (6Ae.aegypti larvae and 12Ae.albopictus larvae), a sylvatic strain of DENV-4 which was most closely related with sylvatic strains isolated from arboreal mosquitoes and sentinel monkeys in Peninsular Malaysia in the 1970s. All four DENV serotypes were co-circulating throughout the study period. The detection of a sylvatic strain of DENV-4 inAe.aegypti andAe.albopictus mosquitoes in urban areas in Peninsular Malaysia highl...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Source Type: research