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Ali IM, Tchuenkam VPK, Colton M, Stittleburg V, Mitchell C, Gaither C, Thwai K, Espinoza DO, Zhu Y, Jamal H, Key A, Juliano JJ, Christopher TB, Piantadosi A, Waggoner JJ, Collins MH. Arboviruses as an unappreciated cause of non-malarial acute febrile illness in the Dschang Health District of western Cameroon. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010790. [PMID: 36223421 PMCID: PMC9591055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute febrile illness is a common problem managed by clinicians and health systems globally, particularly in the Tropics. In many regions, malaria is a leading and potentially deadly cause of fever; however, myriad alternative etiologies exist. Identifying the cause of fever allows optimal management, but this depends on many factors including thorough knowledge of circulating infections. Arboviruses such as dengue (DENV) cause fever and may be underdiagnosed in sub-Saharan Africa where malaria is a major focus. We examined cases of fever in western Cameroon that tested negative for malaria and found 13.5% (13/96) were due to DENV, with 75% (9/12) of these being DENV serotype 2 infections. Two complete DENV2 genomes were obtained and clustered closely to recent isolates from Senegal and Burkina Faso. The seroprevalence of DENV in this region was 24.8% (96/387). Neutralizing antibodies to DENV2 were detected in all (15/15) seropositive samples tested. Chikungunya (CHIKV) is an arthritogenic alphavirus that is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, the same principal vector as DENV. The seroprevalence for CHIKV was 15.7% (67/427); however, CHIKV did not cause a single case of fever in the 96 subjects tested. Of note, being seropositive for one arbovirus was associated with being seropositive for the other (Χ2 = 16.8, p<0.001). Taken together, these data indicate that Aedes-transmitted arboviruses are endemic in western Cameroon and are likely a common but underappreciated cause of febrile illness. This work supports the need for additional study of arboviruses in sub-Saharan Africa and efforts to improve diagnostic capacity, surveillance systems, and arbovirus prevention strategies. Acute illness with fever is common but can be challenging for clinicians to manage, particularly in resource-limited settings. In sub-Saharan Africa, malaria is a major cause of fever, but other causes of fever are poorly documented or monitored, which impairs optimal medical care to patients and implementation of public health interventions to control leading causes of disease. Viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are a prevalent and expanding problem throughout the tropics and beyond; however, there is concern that these infections frequently go undetected in sub-Saharan Africa. We discovered a previously unrecognized outbreak of dengue virus in western Cameroon by testing remnant samples from over 400 patients that presented with fever. Our results indicate that dengue has circulated in this region for decades with little recognition. This study adds important information about causes of fever in sub-Saharan Africa and advocates for increasing investment in surveillance systems and prevention strategies for mosquito-borne viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Innocent M. Ali
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, West Region of Cameroon, Cameroon
| | - Valery P. K. Tchuenkam
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, West Region of Cameroon, Cameroon
| | - Mia Colton
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Victoria Stittleburg
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Cedar Mitchell
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Claudia Gaither
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kyaw Thwai
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel O. Espinoza
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Yerun Zhu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Haaris Jamal
- Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Autum Key
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jonathan J. Juliano
- Division of Infectious Diseases, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Tume B. Christopher
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, Dschang, West Region of Cameroon, Cameroon
| | - Anne Piantadosi
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Jesse J. Waggoner
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Matthew H. Collins
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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