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. 2023 Apr 24;108(6):1249-1255.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0539. Print 2023 Jun 7.

Dengue and COVID-19 Co-Circulation in the Peruvian Amazon: A Population-Based Study

Maria J Pons  1 , Ana Mayanga-Herrera  2 , Gabriela M Ulloa  1 , Barbara Ymaña  1 , Sabrina Medina  1 , Freddy Alava  3 , Carlos Álvarez-Antonio  3 , Graciela Meza-Sánchez  3   4 , Carlos Calampa  3   4 , Wilma Casanova  4 , Cristiam Carey  4 , Hugo Rodríguez-Ferrucci  4 , Amy C Morrison  5 , Antonio M Quispe  6
Affiliations

Dengue and COVID-19 Co-Circulation in the Peruvian Amazon: A Population-Based Study

Maria J Pons et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the main Amazon cities dramatically, with Iquitos City reporting the highest seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during the first COVID-19 wave worldwide. This phenomenon raised many questions about the possibility of a co-circulation of dengue and COVID-19 and its consequences. We carried out a population-based cohort study in Iquitos, Peru. We obtained a venous blood sample from a subset of 326 adults from the Iquitos COVID-19 cohort (August 13-18, 2020) to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-dengue virus (DENV) and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We tested each serum sample for anti-DENV IgG (serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4) and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies anti-spike IgG and IgM by ELISA. We estimated an anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 78.0% (95% CI, 73.0-82.0) and an anti-DENV seroprevalence of 88.0% (95% CI, 84.0-91.6), signifying a high seroprevalence of both diseases during the first wave of COVID-19 transmission in the city. The San Juan District had a lower anti-DENV antibody seroprevalence than the Belen District (prevalence ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.98). However, we did not observe these differences in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence. Iquitos City presented one of the highest seroprevalence rates of anti-DENV and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies worldwide, but with no correlation between their antibody levels.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
COVID-19 and dengue epidemics in Iquitos City from 2019 through 2021.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Seroprevalence of COVID-19, dengue, and active dengue among adults across Iquitos City overall (A) and disaggregated by age group and rural/urban area for COVID-19 seroprevalence (B) dengue seroprevalence (C), and dengue incidence (D).
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
(A) Anti-dengue IgG antibody (Abs) absorbance units by Iquitos district. Active cases of dengue are located above the solid line. (B) COVID-19 IgG Abs absorbance units by Iquitos district.
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