Abstract
BackgroundDengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. It is considered an important public health problem in many countries worldwide. However, only a few studies have been conducted on primates and domestic animals that could potentially be a reservoir of dengue viruses. Since domestic dogs share both habitats and vectors with humans, this study aimed to investigate whether domestic dogs living in different ecological settings in dengue endemic areas in Thailand could be naturally infected with dengue viruses.Methodology/Principal findingsSerum samples were collected from domestic dogs in three different ecological settings of Thailand: urban dengue endemic areas of Nakhon Sawan Province; rubber plantation areas of Rayong Province; and Koh Chang, an island tourist spot of Trat Province. These samples were screened for dengue viral genome by using semi-nested RT-PCR. Positive samples were then inoculated in mosquito and dog cell lines for virus isolation. Supernatant collected from cell culture was tested for the presence of dengue viral genome by semi-nested RT-PCR, then double-strand DNA products were double-pass custom-sequenced. Partial nucleotide sequences were aligned with the sequences already recorded in GenBank, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. In the urban setting, 632 domestic dog serum samples were screened for dengue virus genome by RT-PCR, and six samples (0.95%) tested positive for dengue virus. Four out of six dengue viruses from positive samples were successfully isolated. Dengue virus serotype 2 and serotype 3 were found to have circulated in domestic dog populations. One of 153 samples (0.65%) collected from the rubber plantation area showed a PCR-positive result, and dengue serotype 3 was successfully isolated. Partial gene phylogeny revealed that the isolated dengue viruses were closely related to those strains circulating in human populations. None of the 71 samples collected from the island tourist spot showed a positive result.Conclusions/SignificanceWe concluded that domestic dogs can be infected with dengue virus strains circulating in dengue endemic areas. The role of domestic dogs in dengue transmission needs to be further investigated, i.e., whether they are potential reservoirs or incidental hosts of dengue viruses.
Highlights
Dengue virus (DENV), transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, is the major arbovirus threat to public health worldwide [1,2,3]
Since domestic dogs share both habitats and vectors with humans, this study aimed to investigate whether domestic dogs living in different ecological settings in dengue endemic areas in Thailand could be naturally infected with dengue viruses
There was evidence of DENV RNA detected in the brains of bats caught from a dengue endemic area in Hainan Island in China [15] and Mexico [16,17], and detection of antibodies against DENV in bats collected from Costa Rica, Ecuador [18], the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico [19]; as well as detection of antibodies against DENV serotype 2 and a DENV genome in neotropical forest mammals in French Guiana that was closely related to those strains circulating in human populations [20,21]
Summary
Dengue virus (DENV), transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, is the major arbovirus threat to public health worldwide [1,2,3]. A licensed dengue vaccine has been used for dengue prevention in several countries, including Thailand, but evidence indicated that it conferred only partial protection against DENV infection. Many studies have focused on detection of DENV in human hosts and mosquitoes, only a few studies have been done on primates and domestic animals which could potentially be reservoirs of this virus. Dengue is a vector-borne disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes It is considered an important public health problem in many countries worldwide. Only a few studies have been conducted on primates and domestic animals that could potentially be a reservoir of dengue viruses. Since domestic dogs share both habitats and vectors with humans, this study aimed to investigate whether domestic dogs living in different ecological settings in dengue endemic areas in Thailand could be naturally infected with dengue viruses
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