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Subject Area

Microbiology

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Background Dengue has been emerging as one of the serious public health problems that has played havocs in terms of morbidity and mortality, especially in a developing country like India. Objective To study the seroprevalence of dengue disease and month-wise frequency of dengue virus infection cases among the patients admitted in a tertiary care center located in Central India. Patients and methods The present prospective study was conducted from January 2019 to March 2020 for a period of 15 months. Overall, 3–5 ml of venous blood collected from all the patients suspected of dengue virus infection was subjected to rapid immunochromatographic test (Avantor) followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test for detection of nonstructural protein 1 antigen, immunoglobulin M, and immunoglobulin G antibodies (Qualisa). Results A total of 953 blood samples were tested for dengue virus infection. Among these, 176 (18.4%) were found to be seropositive for one or multiple serological markers. Among the various seropositive patients, 59.6% were males and 40.4% were females. The most affected age group was 11–20 years (41.4%) followed by 21–30 years (39.7%). Most cases of dengue were seen in the postmonsoon period, that is, in the month of November (33.7%) followed by October (29.4%). Few cases were also reported in dry season. Among the various seropositive cases, 73.2% individuals experienced recent primary infection. Conclusions Moderate seroprevalence was reported in our study, which may be an alarming sign for future epidemics. The study warns toward the male preponderance along with a larger number of seropositive cases among young adult population. It also highlights the importance of vector control strategies even in dry periods and not just the monsoon or postmonsoon seasons. Appropriate seroepidemiological surveillance with a combo of vector control and preventive strategies would help in combating the disease.

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