SEROTYPE-SPECIFIC DIFFERENCES IN CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF DENGUE

Abstract

Dengue, the most prevalent arthropod-borne viral disease of humans, is caused by four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV 1–4). Although all four DENV serotypes cause a range of illness, defining precisely which clinical characteristics are associated with the distinct serotypes has been elusive. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 984 and 313 hospitalized children with confirmed DENV infections during two time periods, respectively, in the same hospitals in Nicaragua: a 3-year period (1999–2001) when DENV-2 accounted for 96% of the viruses identified, and the 2003 dengue season when DENV-1 predominated (87% of identified serotypes). When the two periods were compared, more shock (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.35–2.71) and internal hemorrhage (OR 2.05, CI 1.16–3.78) were observed in the period when DENV-2 predominated, whereas increased vascular permeability was associated to a greater degree with the DENV-1 period (OR 2.36, CI 1.80–3.09). Compared with the DENV-2 period, the DENV-1 season was associated with more hospitalized primary dengue cases (OR 3.86, CI 2.72–5.48) and more primary DENV infections with severe manifestations (OR 2.93, CI 2.00–4.28). These findings provide new data to characterize the pathogenic potential of distinct DENV serotypes in human populations.