Emergence of a New Lineage of Dengue Virus Type 2 Identified in Travelers Entering Western Australia from Indonesia, 2010-2012
Timo Ernsta, Suzi McCarthyb, Glenys R. Chidlowb, Dagwin Suarkiaa c, Edward Charles Holmesd, David W. Smitha b, Allison A. Imriea b✉
- aSchool of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- bPathWest Laboratory Medicine WA, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia
- cPapua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, Papua New Guinea
- dMarie Bashir Institute for Emerging Diseases & Biosecurity, Charles Perkins Centre, School of Biological Sciences and Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- ✉Corresponding author
Papers open inside SciRah from the original publisher or repository; SciRah never hosts them.
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) transmission is ubiquitous throughout the tropics. More than 70% of the current global dengue disease burden is borne by people who live in the Asia-Pacific region. We sequenced the E gene of DENV isolated from travellers entering Western Australia between 2010-2012, most of whom visited Indonesia, and identified a diverse array of DENV1-4, including multiple co-circulating viral lineages. Most viruses were closely related to lineages known to have circulated in Indonesia for some time, indicating that this geographic region serves as a major hub for dengue genetic diversity. Most notably, we identified a new lineage of DENV-2 (Cosmopolitan genotype) that emerged in Bali in 2011-2012. The spread of this lineage should clearly be monitored. Surveillance of symptomatic returned travellers provides important and timely information on circulating DENV serotypes and genotypes, and can reveal the herald wave of dengue and other emerging infectious diseases.