A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia

Background: The evaluation of antiviral or vaccination strategies for the prevention of dengue infections in a traveler population would require extensive and complex studies. This prospective study aimed to identify a cohort of dengue naïve participants living in Medellín, a dengue endemic area, as...

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Main Authors: Andrea Trujillo, Liesbeth Van Wesenbeeck, Lina Salazar, Liliana López, Lotke Tambuyzer, Annemie Buelens, Kim De Clerck, Oliver Lenz, Leen Vijgen, Marnix Van Loock, Guillermo Herrera-Taracena, Iván Darío Vélez, Freya Rasschaert
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Vaccines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/7/748
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author Andrea Trujillo
Liesbeth Van Wesenbeeck
Lina Salazar
Liliana López
Lotke Tambuyzer
Annemie Buelens
Kim De Clerck
Oliver Lenz
Leen Vijgen
Marnix Van Loock
Guillermo Herrera-Taracena
Iván Darío Vélez
Freya Rasschaert
author_facet Andrea Trujillo
Liesbeth Van Wesenbeeck
Lina Salazar
Liliana López
Lotke Tambuyzer
Annemie Buelens
Kim De Clerck
Oliver Lenz
Leen Vijgen
Marnix Van Loock
Guillermo Herrera-Taracena
Iván Darío Vélez
Freya Rasschaert
author_sort Andrea Trujillo
collection DOAJ
description Background: The evaluation of antiviral or vaccination strategies for the prevention of dengue infections in a traveler population would require extensive and complex studies. This prospective study aimed to identify a cohort of dengue naïve participants living in Medellín, a dengue endemic area, as a proxy for travelers and to determine the incidence of primary dengue virus (DENV) infection (symptomatic and asymptomatic) in this cohort. In Colombia, epidemic dengue waves occur every 3–4 years, with infected <i>Aedes</i> mosquitoes present in ~80% of the territory, including Medellín. Methods: Participants > 16 years of age, living in Medellín, were screened for anti-DENV immunoglobulin G (IgG). DENV seronegative participants were enrolled in this study. A serological anti-DENV survey was performed, with semiannual sample collections for up to 2 years. Acute DENV infections were evaluated by monitoring fever and testing for DENV nonstructural protein 1 and/or RNA. Results: Of the 4885 screened participants, 3008 participants (62%) were DENV seronegative and enrolled. Among them, 2263 (75%) completed this study, and 2644 (88%) had at least one serosurvey visit after baseline. Of those, 52 (2%) had laboratory-confirmed DENV seroconversion, and 19 (<1%) had febrile illness, but none had laboratory-confirmed DENV infection. Conclusions: This study identified a cohort of predominantly students, seronegative at study start, living in Medellín and serving as a proxy for a prospective DENV infection traveler population. Laboratory-confirmed primary DENV infection was found in 2% of participants, with <1% reporting febrile illnesses, meeting the WHO criteria for probable clinical dengue cases.
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spelling doaj-art-5aa0997ce15e4d47aac20d8c72fc00aa2025-08-20T03:32:16ZengMDPI AGVaccines2076-393X2025-07-0113774810.3390/vaccines13070748A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, ColombiaAndrea Trujillo0Liesbeth Van Wesenbeeck1Lina Salazar2Liliana López3Lotke Tambuyzer4Annemie Buelens5Kim De Clerck6Oliver Lenz7Leen Vijgen8Marnix Van Loock9Guillermo Herrera-Taracena10Iván Darío Vélez11Freya Rasschaert12Grupo de Investigación Clínica-PECET (GIC-PECET), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, AN, ColombiaJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumGrupo de Investigación Clínica-PECET (GIC-PECET), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, AN, ColombiaGrupo de Investigación Clínica-PECET (GIC-PECET), Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, AN, ColombiaJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumJohnson & Johnson, Horsham, PA 19044, USAPrograma de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales PECET, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín 050010, AN, ColombiaJohnson & Johnson, 2340 Beerse, BelgiumBackground: The evaluation of antiviral or vaccination strategies for the prevention of dengue infections in a traveler population would require extensive and complex studies. This prospective study aimed to identify a cohort of dengue naïve participants living in Medellín, a dengue endemic area, as a proxy for travelers and to determine the incidence of primary dengue virus (DENV) infection (symptomatic and asymptomatic) in this cohort. In Colombia, epidemic dengue waves occur every 3–4 years, with infected <i>Aedes</i> mosquitoes present in ~80% of the territory, including Medellín. Methods: Participants > 16 years of age, living in Medellín, were screened for anti-DENV immunoglobulin G (IgG). DENV seronegative participants were enrolled in this study. A serological anti-DENV survey was performed, with semiannual sample collections for up to 2 years. Acute DENV infections were evaluated by monitoring fever and testing for DENV nonstructural protein 1 and/or RNA. Results: Of the 4885 screened participants, 3008 participants (62%) were DENV seronegative and enrolled. Among them, 2263 (75%) completed this study, and 2644 (88%) had at least one serosurvey visit after baseline. Of those, 52 (2%) had laboratory-confirmed DENV seroconversion, and 19 (<1%) had febrile illness, but none had laboratory-confirmed DENV infection. Conclusions: This study identified a cohort of predominantly students, seronegative at study start, living in Medellín and serving as a proxy for a prospective DENV infection traveler population. Laboratory-confirmed primary DENV infection was found in 2% of participants, with <1% reporting febrile illnesses, meeting the WHO criteria for probable clinical dengue cases.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/7/748dengue virusdengue naïvetraveler’s populationseroconversionColombia
spellingShingle Andrea Trujillo
Liesbeth Van Wesenbeeck
Lina Salazar
Liliana López
Lotke Tambuyzer
Annemie Buelens
Kim De Clerck
Oliver Lenz
Leen Vijgen
Marnix Van Loock
Guillermo Herrera-Taracena
Iván Darío Vélez
Freya Rasschaert
A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia
Vaccines
dengue virus
dengue naïve
traveler’s population
seroconversion
Colombia
title A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia
title_full A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia
title_fullStr A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia
title_full_unstemmed A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia
title_short A Prospective Cohort Study of Primary Dengue Virus Infection in Medellín, Colombia
title_sort prospective cohort study of primary dengue virus infection in medellin colombia
topic dengue virus
dengue naïve
traveler’s population
seroconversion
Colombia
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/13/7/748
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