BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most important arboviral disease in the world. Dengue viruses (DENVs) have produced huge outbreaks in Brazil in the past 25 years with more than 5 million reported cases. During these epidemics, asymptomatic individuals infected with DENV could donate blood and serve as a source of virus dissemination in the community. Here, we studied the circulation of DENV in healthy individuals during an epidemic outbreak. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study included 500 serum samples from healthy blood donors collected at the Hemotherapy Center of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, during a dengue outbreak. The presence of DENV RNA in the serum samples was screened by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The virus serotype was determined by a heminested PCR procedure. A partial fragment of the NS5 gene sequence was used for phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: DENV RNA was detected in the serum sample of 2 of 500 (0.4%) individuals. Both of them were infected with DENV-3 Genotype III, a virus that has been circulating in Brazil in the past decade. CONCLUSION: Individuals with asymptomatic DENV infection can be blood donors and serve as a source of virus dissemination in the community. Further studies are needed to determine the risk of recipient infection by DENV as a result of transfusion in Brazil, especially during epidemic periods.
BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most important arboviral disease in the world. Dengue viruses (DENVs) have produced huge outbreaks in Brazil in the past 25 years with more than 5 million reported cases. During these epidemics, asymptomatic individuals infected with DENV could donate blood and serve as a source of virus dissemination in the community. Here, we studied the circulation of DENV in healthy individuals during an epidemic outbreak. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study included 500 serum samples from healthy blood donors collected at the Hemotherapy Center of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, during a dengue outbreak. The presence of DENV RNA in the serum samples was screened by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The virus serotype was determined by a heminested PCR procedure. A partial fragment of the NS5 gene sequence was used for phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: DENV RNA was detected in the serum sample of 2 of 500 (0.4%) individuals. Both of them were infected with DENV-3 Genotype III, a virus that has been circulating in Brazil in the past decade. CONCLUSION: Individuals with asymptomatic DENV infection can be blood donors and serve as a source of virus dissemination in the community. Further studies are needed to determine the risk of recipient infection by DENV as a result of transfusion in Brazil, especially during epidemic periods.
Authors: Ester C Sabino; Paula Loureiro; Maria Esther Lopes; Ligia Capuani; Christopher McClure; Dhuly Chowdhury; Claudia Di-Lorenzo-Oliveira; Lea C Oliveira; Jeffrey M Linnen; Tzong-Hae Lee; Thelma Gonçalez; Donald Brambilla; Steve Kleinman; Michael P Busch; Brian Custer Journal: J Infect Dis Date: 2015-06-08 Impact factor: 5.226
Authors: Michael P Busch; Ester C Sabino; Donald Brambilla; Maria Esther Lopes; Ligia Capuani; Dhuly Chowdhury; Christopher McClure; Jeffrey M Linnen; Harry Prince; Graham Simmons; Tzong-Hae Lee; Steven Kleinman; Brian Custer Journal: J Infect Dis Date: 2016-04-01 Impact factor: 5.226
Authors: Helen M Faddy; Clive R Seed; Jesse J Fryk; Catherine A Hyland; Scott A Ritchie; Carmel T Taylor; Kathryn L Van Der Merwe; Robert L P Flower; William J H McBride Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 2013-05 Impact factor: 6.883