Re-Emergence of DENV-3 in French Guiana: Retrospective Analysis of Cases That Circulated in the French Territories of the Americas from the 2000s to the 2023-2024 Outbreak

  • 0Arbovirus National Reference Center, Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne 97300, French Guiana.

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Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Dengue virus 3 (DENV-3) genotype III (GIII) strains, originating from Asia, caused recent epidemics in French Guiana and Martinique. Genomic surveillance is crucial for tracking DENV evolution and introductions.

Area Of Science

  • * Virology and Molecular Epidemiology
  • * Public Health and Infectious Diseases

Background

  • * French Guiana faced an unprecedented dengue epidemic in 2023-2024, with Dengue virus 3 (DENV-3) not seen epidemically since 2005.
  • * Understanding the genetic lineage and origin of circulating DENV-3 strains is critical for effective epidemic control.

Purpose Of The Study

  • * To retrospectively analyze DENV-3 strains circulating in the French Territories of the Americas (FTA) from the 2000s to the recent epidemic.
  • * To identify the origins and evolutionary patterns of DENV-3 strains contributing to recent outbreaks.

Main Methods

  • * Selection and sequencing of DENV-3 samples from the National Reference Center for Arboviruses in French Guiana (NRCA-FG).
  • * Utilized next-generation sequencing (NGS) with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT).
  • * Performed phylogenetic analysis on 97 FTA DENV-3 sequences.

Main Results

  • * All 97 analyzed FTA sequences belonged to DENV-3 genotype III (GIII).
  • * From the 2000s to 2013, the GIII American-I lineage drove regional circulation via local extinctions and re-introductions.
  • * Multiple introductions of Asian-origin lineages were identified as the source for the 2019-2021 Martinique and 2023-2024 French Guiana epidemics.

Conclusions

  • * Genomic surveillance is essential for identifying circulating DENV genotypes and monitoring strain evolution.
  • * Understanding importation events is key to preventing and managing future dengue epidemics in the FTA.