Dengue and West Nile Virus Transmission in Children and Adults in Coastal Kenya

• Authors: David M. Vu, Stanford University School of Medicine; Tamara Banda, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Crystal Y. Teng, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Chelsea Heimbaugh, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Eric M. Muchiri, Ministry of Health, Kenya; Peter L. Mungai, Case Western Reserve University; Francis M. Mutuku, Emory University; Julie Brichard, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Ginny Gildengorin, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute; Erin M. Borland, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Ann M. Powers, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Uriel Kitron, Emory University; Charles H. King, Case Western Reserve University; A. Desiree LaBeaud, Stanford University School of Medicine
• Journal Title: American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Volume: Volume 96, Number 1
• Publisher: American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | 2017-01-11, Pages 141-143
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.16-0562
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Immunology

Abstract

Dengue virus (DENV) and West Nile virus (WNV) are important reemerging arboviruses that are under-recognized in many parts of Africa due to lack of surveillance. As a part of a study on flavivirus, alphavirus, and parasite exposure in coastal Kenya, we measured neutralizing antibody against DENV and, to evaluate assay specificity, WNV in serum samples that tested positive for serum anti-DENV IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Of 830 anti-DENV IgG-positive samples that were tested for neutralizing activity, 488 (58.8%) neutralized DENV and 94 (11.3%) neutralized WNV. Of children ≤ 10 years of age, 23% and 17% had serum neutralizing antibody to DENV and WNV, respectively, indicating that DENV and WNV transmission has occurred in this region within the past decade. The results suggest that ongoing DENV and WNV transmission continues on the coast of Kenya and supports a need for routine arboviral surveillance in the area to detect and respond to future outbreaks.