Dengue Virus Net is the web resource for anyone interested in dengue. The objectives of Dengue Virus Net are to be the public and professional information resource for dengue and to serve as a network in the exchange of information and news related to dengue.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne infection that causes a severe flu-like illness (dengue fever), and sometimes a potentially lethal complication called dengue haemorrhagic fever. Global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades. About two fifths of the world's population are now at risk. Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas. Dengue is transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti or more rarely the Aedes albopictus mosquito, which feed during the day. Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian countries. There is currently no specific treatment for dengue.

• Thailand involved in development of more effective dengue vaccine - The Nation
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 11:45:
• First dengue fever outbreak in Hanoi - SGGP
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 09:28:
• Anti-dengue drive picks up steam - Times of India
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 04:11:
• Dengue scare in Odisha: Three more patients identified in Cuttack - Odisha Sun Times
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 03:54:
• After conclusion of Ramazan bazaars: 'elimination of dengue, polio should be ... - Business Recorder
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 03:10:
• Second Dengue Case Reported - The New Indian Express
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 02:47:
• Brazil to Fight Dengue with GM Mosquitos - Brazil Business Today (subscription)
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 05:23:
• Dengue Fear Rises, BBMP on its Toes - The New Indian Express
  Thu, 24 Jul 2014 02:20:
• Erratic supply of water prompts storage, triggers dengue chances - Times of India
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 23:29:
• Samoa on health alert over suspected dengue fever outbreak - Islands Business
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 22:45:

• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Thailand
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Taiwan
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Zamboanga City, Philippines
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Singapore
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Malaysia
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- India
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Karnataka State, India
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (46): Asia
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:33:12
  Dengue -- Pune, Maharashtra, India
  A total of 11 881 dengue fever cases have been reported in the country [Thailand] since the beginning of the year [2014], Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
  Public health permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat said that of the total [11 881 cases], 13 people aged between 15 and 24 [years old] have died from dengue fever from [1 Jan 2014 to 8 Jul 2014]. However, the number of patients reported so far this year [2014] was 80 per cent lower than in the same period in 2013.
  Public health


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (45): Americas
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:30:31
  Dengue -- Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States
  


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (45): Americas
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:30:31
  Dengue -- Mexico
  


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (45): Americas
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:30:31
  Dengue -- Estado de Jalisco, Mexico
  


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (45): Americas
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:30:31
  Dengue -- Estado de Campeche, Mexico
  


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (45): Americas
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:30:31
  Dengue -- Estado de Oaxaca, Mexico
  


• PRO/EDR> Dengue/DHF update (45): Americas
  Wed, 23 Jul 2014 18:30:31
  Dengue -- Estado de Tamaulipas, Mexico
  

• Legal aspects of public health: Difficulties in controlling vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in Brazil.
  Mendes MS, de Moraes J Legal aspects of public health: Difficulties in controlling vector-borne and zoonotic diseases in Brazil. [REVIEW]Acta Trop 2014 Jul 19.In recent years, vector-borne and zoonotic diseases have become a major challenge for public health. Dengue fever and leptospirosis are the most important communicable diseases in Brazil based on their prevalence and the healthy life years lost from disability. The primary strategy for preventing human exposure to these diseases is effective insect and rodent control in and around the home. However, health authorities have difficulties in controlling vector-borne and zoonotic diseases because residents often refuse access to their homes. This study discusses aspects related to the activities performed by Brazilian health authorities to combat vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, particularly difficulties in relation to the legal aspect, which often impede the quick and effective actions of these professionals. How might it be possible to reconcile the need to preserve public health and the rule on the inviolability of the home, especially in the case of abandoned properties or illegal residents and the refusal of residents to allow the health authority access? Do residents have the right to hinder the performance of health workers even in the face of a significant and visible focus of disease transmission? This paper argues that a comprehensive legal plan aimed at the control of invasive vector-borne and zoonotic diseases including synanthropic animals of public health importance should be considered. In addition, this paper aims to bridge the gap between lawyers and public health professionals and to facilitate communication between them.


• Wolbachia Endosymbionts and Human Disease Control.
  Slatko BE, Luck AN, Dobson SL, et al. Wolbachia Endosymbionts and Human Disease Control. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]Mol Biochem Parasitol 2014 Jul 18.AbstractPublisher Full TextMost human filarial nematode parasites and arthropods are hosts for a bacterial endosymbiont, Wolbachia. In filaria, Wolbachia are required for normal development, fertility and survival, whereas in arthropods, they are largely parasitic and can influence development and reproduction, but are generally not required for host survival. Due to their obligate nature in filarial parasites, Wolbachia have been a target for drug discovery initiatives using several approaches including diversity and focused library screening and genomic sequence analysis. In vitro and in vivo anti-Wolbachia antibiotic treatments have been shown to have adulticidal activity, a long sought goal of filarial parasite drug discovery. In mosquitoes, it has been shown that the presence of Wolbachia can inhibit the transmission of certain viruses, such as Dengue, Chikungunya, Yellow Fever, West Nile, as well as the infectivity of the malaria-causing protozoan, Plasmodium and filarial nematodes. Furthermore, Wolbachia can cause a form of conditional sterility that can be used to suppress populations of mosquitoes and additional medically important insects. Thus Wolbachia, a pandemic endosymbiont offers great potential for elimination of a wide-variety of devastating human diseases.


• Kinome siRNA screen identifies novel cell-type specific dengue host target genes.
  Kwon YJ, Heo J, Wong HE, et al. Kinome siRNA screen identifies novel cell-type specific dengue host target genes. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]Antiviral Res 2014 Jul 18.Dengue is a global emerging infectious disease, with no specific treatment available. To identify novel human host cell targets important for dengue virus infection and replication, an image-based high-throughput siRNA assay screening of a human kinome siRNA library was conducted using human hepatocyte cell line Huh7 infected with a recent dengue serotype 2 virus isolate BR DEN2 01-01. In the primary siRNA screening of 779 kinase-related genes, knockdown of 22 genes showed a reduction in DENV-2 infection. Conversely, knockdown of 8 genes enhanced viral infection. To assess host cell specificity, the confirmed hits were tested in the DENV-infected monocytic cell line U937. While the expression of EIF2AK3, ETNK2 and SMAD7 was regulated in both cell lines after infection, most kinases were hepatocyte-specific. Monocytic cells represent initial targets of infection and an anti-viral treatment targeting these cells is probably most effective to reduce initial viral load. In turn, infection of the liver could contribute to pathogenesis, and the novel hepatocyte-specific human targets identified here could be important for dengue infection and pathogenesis.


• Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a recombinant tetravalent dengue vaccine: A meta-analysis of randomized trials.
  da Costa VG, Marques-Silva AC, Floriano VG, et al. Safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of a recombinant tetravalent dengue vaccine: A meta-analysis of randomized trials. [REVIEW]Vaccine 2014 Jul 18.The World Health Organization has stipulated a target: reduce the mortality rate caused by dengue disease by 50% until 2020. Most likely, this goal can be achieved by means of a dengue vaccine. Accordingly, the recombinant and tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV), developed by the Sanofi Pasteur Group, is in an advanced stage of human testing. Although there are multiple randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the CYD-TDV, individual results may have little power to identify differences between the populations studied. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to determine a more precise estimate of the overall parameters of safety, immunogenicity and efficacy of CYD-TDV. A data search was conducted in the PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and SciELO databases with defined selection criteria. We included for meta-analysis seven randomized and placebo-controlled studies that included 6678 patients randomized to receive the CYD-TDV (4586) or placebo (2092). Regarding vaccine safety, it was found that there was no significant difference between treated and placebo groups, as only approximately 5.5% of patients were withdrawn from the study. Regarding immunogenicity, the levels of neutralizing antibodies were measured by weighted mean differences (WMD), which were always higher in the vaccinated group (WMD/DENV1=59.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 57-61; WMD/DENV2=99, 95% CI 95-102; WMD/DENV3=138, 95% CI 133-142; WMD/DENV4=123, 95% CI 119-126). The clinical efficacy of the vaccine was 59% (95% CI 15-80; RR=0.41, 95% CI 0.2-0.85, I(2)=30.9%). In conclusion, safety and a balanced immune response to the CYD-TDV were found. However, to fully establish the clinical effectiveness and robustness of immunogenicity, it is necessary to perform further studies to assess the long-term effects of the vaccine.


• Proteochemometric modeling in a Bayesian framework.
  Cortes-Ciriano I, van Westen GJ, Lenselink EB, et al. Proteochemometric modeling in a Bayesian framework. [Journal Article]J Cheminform 2014.:35.Proteochemometrics (PCM) is an approach for bioactivity predictive modeling which models the relationship between protein and chemical information. Gaussian Processes (GP), based on Bayesian inference, provide the most objective estimation of the uncertainty of the predictions, thus permitting the evaluation of the applicability domain (AD) of the model. Furthermore, the experimental error on bioactivity measurements can be used as input for this probabilistic model. In this study, we apply GP implemented with a panel of kernels on three various (and multispecies) PCM datasets. The first dataset consisted of information from 8 human and rat adenosine receptors with 10,999 small molecule ligands and their binding affinity. The second consisted of the catalytic activity of four dengue virus NS3 proteases on 56 small peptides. Finally, we have gathered bioactivity information of small molecule ligands on 91 aminergic GPCRs from 9 different species, leading to a dataset of 24,593 datapoints with a matrix completeness of only 2.43%. GP models trained on these datasets are statistically sound, at the same level of statistical significance as Support Vector Machines (SVM), with [Formula: see text] values on the external dataset ranging from 0.68 to 0.92, and RMSEP values close to the experimental error. Furthermore, the best GP models obtained with the normalized polynomial and radial kernels provide intervals of confidence for the predictions in agreement with the cumulative Gaussian distribution. GP models were also interpreted on the basis of individual targets and of ligand descriptors. In the dengue dataset, the model interpretation in terms of the amino-acid positions in the tetra-peptide ligands gave biologically meaningful results.


• Role of semaphorin-1a in the developing visual system of the disease vector mosquito Aedes aegypti.
  Mysore K, Flannery E, Leming MT, et al. Role of semaphorin-1a in the developing visual system of the disease vector mosquito Aedes aegypti. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]Dev Dyn 2014 Jul 17.Background: Despite the devastating impact of mosquito-borne illnesses on human health, very little is known about mosquito developmental biology, including development of the mosquito visual system. Mosquitoes possess functional adult compound eyes as larvae, a trait that makes them an interesting model in which to study comparative developmental genetics. Here, we functionally characterize visual system development in the dengue and yellow fever vector mosquito Aedes aegypti, in which we use chitosan/siRNA nanoparticles to target the axon guidance gene semaphorin-1a (sem(1) ). Results: Immunohistochemical analyses revealed the progression of visual sensory neuron targeting that results in generation of the retinotopic map in the mosquito optic lobe. Loss of sem(1) function led to optic lobe phenotypes, including defective targeting of visual sensory neurons and failed formation of the retinotopic map. These sem(1) knockdown phenotypes correlated with behavioral defects in larval photoavoidance. Conclusions: The results of this investigation indicate that Sem(1) is required for optic lobe development in A. aegypti and highlight the behavioral importance of a functioning visual system in pre-adult mosquitoes. Developmental Dynamics, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


• Highly Functionalized and Potent Antiviral Cyclopentane Derivatives Formed by a Tandem Process Consisting of Organometallic, Transition-Metal-Catalyzed, and Radical Reaction Steps.
  Jagtap PR, Ford L, Deister E, et al. Highly Functionalized and Potent Antiviral Cyclopentane Derivatives Formed by a Tandem Process Consisting of Organometallic, Transition-Metal-Catalyzed, and Radical Reaction Steps. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]Chemistry 2014 Jul 10.A simple modular tandem approach to multiply substituted cyclopentane derivatives is reported, which succeeds by joining organometallic addition, conjugate addition, radical cyclization, and oxygenation steps. The key steps enabling this tandem process are the thus far rarely used isomerization of allylic alkoxides to enolates and single-electron transfer to merge the organometallic step with the radical and oxygenation chemistry. This controlled lineup of multiple electronically contrasting reactive intermediates provides versatile access to highly functionalized cyclopentane derivatives from very simple and readily available commodity precursors. The antiviral activity of the synthesized compounds was screened and a number of compounds showed potent activity against hepatitis C and dengue viruses.


• Role of skin immune cells on the host susceptibility to mosquito-borne viruses.
  Briant L, Desprès P, Choumet V, et al. Role of skin immune cells on the host susceptibility to mosquito-borne viruses. [REVIEW]Virology 2014 Jul 17.:26-32.AbstractPublisher Full TextDue to climate change and the propagation of competent arthropods worldwide, arboviruses have become pathogens of major medical importance. Early transmission to vertebrates is initiated by skin puncture and deposition of virus together with arthropod saliva in the epidermis and dermis. Saliva components have the capacity to modulate skin cell responses by enhancing and/or counteracting initial replication and establishment of systemic viral infection. Here, we review the nature of the cells targeted by arboviruses at the skin level and discuss the type of cellular responses elicited by these pathogens in light of the immunomodulatory properties of arthropod vector-derived salivary factors injected at the inoculation site. Understanding cutaneous arbovirus-host interactions may provide new clues for the design of future therapeutics.


• Dengue Virus Upregulates Expression of Notch Ligands Dll1 and Dll4 Through IFN-β Signaling Pathway.
  Li Y, Wu S, Pu J, et al. Dengue Virus Upregulates Expression of Notch Ligands Dll1 and Dll4 Through IFN-β Signaling Pathway. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]Immunology 2014 Jul 10.Notch signaling pathway is involved in multiple cellular processes and has been recently indicated to modulate host immune response. However, role of Notch pathway in dengue virus (DENV) infection remains unknown. Our study has screened the expression profile of Notch receptors, ligands and target genes in human monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) in response to DENV infection. The Real-time PCR data showed that Notch ligand Dll1 was significantly induced in DENV-infected monocytes; and receptor Notch4, ligands Dll1 and Dll4, and target Hes1 were dramatically enhanced in DENV-infected macrophages and DCs. In macrophages, induction of Dll1 and Dll4 mediated by DENV2 was increased by treatment of IFN-β, and was impaired by neutralization of IFN-β. The DENV-induced Dll1 and Dll4 expression level was decreased by silencing of key innate immune molecules, including TLR3, MyD88, RIG-I or IPS-I. In IFN-receptor depleted macrophages, the Dll1 and Dll4 induction was significantly alleviated. Functionally, activation of Notch signaling by Dll1 in CD4(+) T cells enhanced the expression of a Th1 cytokine IFN-β, while Notch activation in macrophages had no direct effect in replication of DENV. Our data revealed that the expressions of Notch ligands in antigen presenting cells were differentially induced by DENV via innate immune signaling, which is important for Th1/Th2 differentiation during adaptive immune response. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.


• Immunological properties reveal the monovalent and bivalent recombinant dengue virus-like particles as candidate vaccine for dengue.
  Liu Y, Zhou J, Yu Z, et al. Immunological properties reveal the monovalent and bivalent recombinant dengue virus-like particles as candidate vaccine for dengue. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]Microbiol Immunol 2014 Jul 15.We aimed to systematically analyze the immunological properties of monovalent and bivalent dengue virus-like particles (DENV VLPs) prepared in our study and provided basis for the development of DENV VLPs as a promising non-infectious candidate vaccine for dengue infection. The DENV-1/2 VLPs were prepared in the GAP promoter-based P. pastoris expression system using α-factor secretion signal. Groups of mice were immunized by monovalent and bivalent VLPs compared with inactivated virions and PBS. Then, the humoral immune response in mice were tested by ELISA, immunofluorescence and neutralization assay. ELISA and Enzyme linked immunospot assay were performed for investigating cytokines production after virus challenge in vivo and in vitro, respectively. Besides, the protection ability of VLPs was assessed by passive protection assay in suckling mice. The recombinant DENV-1/2 VLPs were successfully expressed with α-factor secretion signal. Sera of mice immunized with monovalent and bivalent VLPs elevated the specific antibodies level comparable to inactivated virions group. The monovalent and bivalent VLPs induced specific cellular immune response as confirmed by ELISPOT. The PRNT 50 titers of monovalent and bivalent VLPs sera against DENV-1/2 were different ranging from 16 to 64. Moreover, anti-monovalent and anti-bivalent DENV VLPs sera displayed protective capacity in survival rate and morbidity. Monovalent and bivalent VLPs showed attracting vaccine effect for dengue virus. The multivalent VLPs may be promising for preventing different types of dengue virus.