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. 2021 Sep 23;13(10):1910.
doi: 10.3390/v13101910.

Molecular Characterization of Imported and Autochthonous Dengue in Northeastern Spain

Jessica Navero-Castillejos  1   2 , Rosa Benitez  3 , Nuria Torner  4 , José Muñoz  2 , Daniel Camprubí-Ferrer  2 , Aida Peiró-Mestres  1 , Elena Sulleiro  5 , Aroa Silgado  5 , Verónica Gonzalo  1 , Teresa Falgueras  6 , Izaskun Alejo-Cancho  1 , Montserrat Roldán  2 , Virginia Plasencia  7 , Rosa Albarracin  1 , Josefa Perez  7 , Alexander Navarro  1 , Ana Calderón  6 , Rosa Rubio  7 , Mireia Navarro  1   2 , Miguel Micó  8 , Jaume Llaberia  9 , María Navarro  10 , Josep Barrachina  1 , Anna Vilamala  10 , Carmina Martí  11 , María Ángeles Pulido  11 , María Paz Sanchez-Seco  12 , Ana Vazquez  12   13 , Ana Martínez  14 , Mireia Jané  14 , Miguel Julián Martínez  1   2
Affiliations

Molecular Characterization of Imported and Autochthonous Dengue in Northeastern Spain

Jessica Navero-Castillejos et al. Viruses. .

Abstract

Dengue is the most significant arbovirus worldwide and a public health threat to non-endemic areas in which Aedes vectors are present. Autochthonous dengue transmission has been reported in several European countries in the last decade. Infected travelers from endemic regions arriving to areas colonized by Aedes albopictus in Europe need to be monitored in surveillance and control programs. We aimed to perform molecular characterization of RT-PCR-positive dengue cases detected in Catalonia, northeastern Spain, from 2013 to 2018. The basic demographic information and the geographical regions of importation were also analyzed. One-hundred four dengue cases were studied (103 imported infections and the first autochthonous case in our region). The dengue virus strains detected were serotyped and genotyped using molecular methods, and phylogenetic analyses were conducted. All four dengue serotypes were detected in travelers, including up to 10 different genotypes, reflecting the global circulation of dengue in endemic areas. The primary travel-related case of the 2018 autochthonous transmission was not identified, but the molecular analysis revealed dengue serotype 1, genotype I of Asian origin. Our results highlight the diversity of imported dengue virus strains and the role of molecular epidemiology in supporting arbovirus surveillance programs.

Keywords: autochthonous transmission; dengue; molecular epidemiology; surveillance.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of imported RT-PCR-positive dengue cases by year and DENV serotype included in the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographic and monthly distribution of RT-PCR-positive imported dengue cases. (A) Number of imported RT-PCR-positive dengue cases by WHO region between 2013 and 2018. No cases were detected in travelers returning from the Eastern Mediterranean Region or the European Region. (B) Number of imported RT-PCR-positive dengue cases by month between 2013 and 2018.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Phylogenetic tree of DENV-1 strains based on the E/NS1 junction region. Strains are denoted by the GenBank accession number, place and year of isolation. The green dots indicate the strains sequenced in this study and the scale bar indicates substitutions per site. The analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method (K2 + G) with a bootstrap of 1000 replicates.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Phylogenetic tree of DENV-2 strains based on the E gene. Strains are denoted by the GenBank accession number, place and year of isolation. The green dots indicate the strains sequenced in this study and the scale bar indicates substitutions per site. The analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method (TN93 + G + I) with a bootstrap of 1000 replicates.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Phylogenetic tree of DENV-3 strains based on the E gene. Strains are denoted by the GenBank accession number, place and year of isolation. The green dots indicate the strains sequenced in this study and the scale bar indicates substitutions per site. The analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method (TN93 + G + I) with a bootstrap of 1000 replicates.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Phylogenetic tree of DENV-4 strains based on the E gene. Strains are denoted by the GenBank accession number, place and year of isolation. The green dots indicate the strains sequenced in this study and the scale bar indicates substitutions per site. The analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method (TN93 + G + I) with a bootstrap of 1000 replicates.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Phylogenetic analysis of the locally transmitted DENV-1 strain based on complete E and NS1 genes. Strains are denoted by the GenBank accession number, place and year of isolation. The green dot indicates the strain of the autochthonous case and the scale bar indicates substitutions per site. The analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method (TN93 + I) with a bootstrap of 1000 replicates.
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