Molecular Investigation of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Circulation in Kassala State, Sudan

The tropical environment of Sudan promotes the spread of mosquito-transmitted diseases such as dengue virus (DENV) infection. The current understanding of the geographical distribution of DENV serotypes and genotypes in Sudan is limited. In this study, molecular techniques (reverse transcriptase [RT]-PCR and sequencing) followed by phylogenetic analysis were used to characterize DENV isolated from the blood samples of suspected dengue patients admitted to Kassala Hospital, Kassala state, Sudan, in 2016 and 2017. We identified DENV infection in 4 patients by RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolated virus sequences belong to the Cosmopolitan genotype of DENV serotype 2. This is the first study to confirm the presence of DENV serotype 2 in Kassala state, Sudan. Our results indicate the need for wider investigations of the DENV serotype composition and studies to evaluate their contribution to ongoing transmission.