Evolving epidemiology, clinical features, and genotyping of dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh, 2000-2024: a systematic review

Nadim Sharif; Rubayet Rayhan Opu; Tama Saha; Abdullah Ibna Masud; Jannatin Naim; Khalaf F Alsharif; Khalid J Alzahrani; Eduardo Silva Alvarado; Irene Delgado Noya; Isabel De la Torre Díez; Shuvra Kanti Dey

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2024.1481418

Evolving epidemiology, clinical features, and genotyping of dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh, 2000-2024: a systematic review

Front Microbiol. 2024 Oct 30:15:1481418. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1481418. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Microbiology, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
² Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia.
³ Universidad Europea del Atlántico, Santander, Spain.
⁴ Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Campeche, Mexico.
⁵ Universidad Internacional Iberoamericana, Arecibo, PR, United States.
⁶ Universidad de La Romana, La Romana, Dominican Republic.
⁷ Universidade Internacional do Cuanza, Cuito, Bié, Angola.
⁸ Fundación Universitaria Internacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
⁹ University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain.

Abstract

Background: The 2023 dengue outbreak has proven that dengue is not only an endemic disease but also an emerging health threat in Bangladesh. Integrated studies on the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, seasonality, and genotype of dengue are limited. This study was conducted to determine recent trends in the molecular epidemiology, clinical features, and seasonality of dengue outbreaks.

Methods: We analyzed data from 41 original studies, extracting epidemiological information from all 41 articles, clinical symptoms from 30 articles, and genotypic diversity from 11 articles. The study adhered to the standards of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) Statement and Cochrane Collaboration guidelines.

Results: A total of 565,438 dengue cases and 2,587 fatalities were documented from January 2000 to March 2024. Notably, 60% of cases during the 2019 and 2023 outbreaks were reported in regions previously considered non-endemic. Fatalities were more frequent among women (70%). The majority of the studies (95-100%) used the NS1Ag test, followed by IgG or IgM and RT-PCR tests. New hotspots of dengue transmission were identified in the southern (Khulna, 10.8% and Barishal, 11.8%) and southeastern (Chattogram, 13.8%) regions of Bangladesh. Serotyping was conducted on 92.4% (1,456 of 1,575) of isolates between 2012 and 2023. Of the four serotypes, DENV3 was the most prevalent (57%), followed by DENV2 (30%), DENV1 (11%), and DENV4 (<1%). Genotype DENV3-I (43 of 59 isolates) was the most prevalent, followed by DENV3-II (8 of 59). The highest frequency of dengue cases was observed in August (26.3%), followed by September (22.5%), October (20.2%), and November (13.08%). Fever (90.51, 95% CI 85-100%) was the most prevalent symptom, followed by headache (57.98, 95% CI 12-100%), vomiting (51.16, 95% CI 23-91%), abdominal pain (34.12, 95% CI 12-85%), and myalgia (25.53, 95% CI 13-85%), respectively.

Conclusion: This study provides integrated insights into the molecular epidemiology, clinical features, seasonality, and transmission of dengue in Bangladesh and highlights research gaps for future studies.

Keywords: Bangladesh; dengue; epidemiology; outbreak; seasonality.

Publication types

Systematic Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This research was partially funded by Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia (TU-DSPP – 2024-05).