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Review
. 2009 Jul;9(4):523-40.
doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2009.02.003. Epub 2009 Feb 13.

Molecular evolution of dengue viruses: contributions of phylogenetics to understanding the history and epidemiology of the preeminent arboviral disease

Scott C Weaver  1 , Nikos Vasilakis
Affiliations
Review

Molecular evolution of dengue viruses: contributions of phylogenetics to understanding the history and epidemiology of the preeminent arboviral disease

Scott C Weaver et al. Infect Genet Evol. 2009 Jul.

Abstract

Dengue viruses (DENV) are the most important arboviral pathogens in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world, putting at risk of infection nearly a third of the global human population. Evidence from the historical record suggests a long association between these viruses and humans. The transmission of DENV includes a sylvatic, enzootic cycle between nonhuman primates and arboreal mosquitoes of the genus Aedes, and an urban, endemic/epidemic cycle between Aedes aegypti, a mosquito with larval development in peridomestic water containers, and human reservoir hosts. DENV are members of the genus Flavivirus in the Family Flaviviridae and comprise of 4 antigenically distinct serotypes (DENV-1-4). Although they are nearly identical epidemiologically, the 4 DENV serotypes are genetically quite distinct. Utilization of phylogenetic analyses based on partial and/or complete genomic sequences has elucidated the origins, epidemiology (genetic diversity, transmission dynamics and epidemic potential), and the forces that shape DENV molecular evolution (rates of evolution, selection pressures, population sizes, putative recombination and evolutionary constraints) in nature. In this review, we examine how phylogenetics have improved understanding of DENV population dynamics and sizes at various stages of infection and transmission, and how this information may influence pathogenesis and improve our ability to understand and predict DENV emergence.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Cartoon depicting the DENV genome and the major functions of the gene products.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Phylogenetic tree of DENV strains from all 4 serotypes derived from complete open reading frames available in the GenBank library. The phylogeny was inferred using Bayesian analysis (one million reiterations) and all horizontal branches are scaled according to the number of substitutions per site. Bayesian probability values are shown for key nodes. Virus strains are coded by abbreviated country of collection/strain name/year of collection.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Cartoon depicting the hypothetical evolutionary history of endemic/epidemic DENV emergence from zoonotic transmission cycles.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Phylogenetic relationships of DENV-1 strains from the GenBank library. The phylogeny was inferred based on complete E gene nucleotide sequences and Bayesian analysis (one million reiterations) using MrBayes 3.1 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck, 2003). Bayesian probability values are shown for key nodes. Virus strains are coded by abbreviated country of collection/strain name/year of collection.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Phylogenetic relationships of DENV-2 strains from the GenBank library. The phylogeny was inferred based on complete E gene nucleotide sequences and Bayesian analysis (one million reiterations) using MrBayes 3.1 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck, 2003). Bayesian probability values are shown for key nodes. Virus strains are coded by abbreviated country of collection/strain name/year of collection.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Phylogenetic relationships of DENV-3 strains from the GenBank library. The phylogeny was inferred based on complete E gene nucleotide sequences and Bayesian analysis (one million reiterations) using MrBayes 3.1 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck, 2003). Bayesian probability values are shown for key nodes. Virus strains are coded by abbreviated country of collection/strain name/year of collection.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Phylogenetic relationships of DENV-4 strains from the GenBank library. The phylogeny was inferred based on complete E gene nucleotide sequences and Bayesian analysis (one million reiterations) using MrBayes 3.1 (Ronquist and Huelsenbeck, 2003). Bayesian probability values are shown for key nodes. Virus strains are coded by abbreviated country of collection/strain name/year of collection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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