Molecular detection of Dengue virus from febrile patient cases in Ghana

Background Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are any group of viral infectious diseases that interfere with the blood’s ability to clot. Viruses that cause these hemorrhagic fevers are found in a variety of hosts including bats, rodents or arthropods like mosquitoes and ticks. Most VHFs are characterized or identified as outbreaks which makes it difficult to monitor or predict. As a result of the danger these infectious pathogens pose, the Noguchi Memorial institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) as part of its mandate in providing high end molecular and genomic laboratory diagnostics in support of national public health programs runs a test for suspected VHFs collected from health facilities across the country. Methods This a cross-sectional study where suspected viral hemorrhagic fever patients were recruited between January 2022 to December 2023. During the period, 2586 suspected serum and plasma samples were transported under cold chain to the NMIMR for testing. These samples were subjected to molecular amplification with the Real time polymerase chain reaction assay for potential VHFs including yellow fever, Ebola/Marburg, Lassa fever and Dengue viruses. Results We detected Dengue virus RNA from eight patient samples and subtyped into serotypes 1, 2 and 3 respectively, using the Johnson B. W. et al ., 2005 protocol. All DENV cases were resident in the Greater Accra region. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the DENV-1 strain detected shared similarity with circulating strains in West Africa. Whole genome sequencing was conducted using Illumina Next Generation Sequencing Technology. Using IQ-TREE, a maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis was carried out. Conclusion Until the emergence of recent cases, the circulating subtype has been serotyped Dengue two. With the detection of serotype one, it increases the possibility of multiple infections in individuals and may have worse or increased risk of severe dengue fever. There is therefore the need to intensify surveillance and also to control the mosquito vectors which can transmit these DENV in Ghana.