Background: Dengue fever is a significant public health concern in Thailand, which consists of Aedes mosquitoes as a vector. The incidence of dengue fever has increased, positioning it among the top 10 infectious diseases affecting health in the Southern region of Thailand. Objectives: This study aimed to examine serotypes and genotypes of the dengue virus causing dengue fever in Trang province in 2024. Materials and methods: From April to August 2024, a total of 125 acute serum or plasma samples were collected from patients with dengue NS1 antigen screening test positive results and/or were clinically diagnosed with dengue fever. The samples were tested for dengue viral RNA detection and serotyping using real-time RT-PCR. Genotype identification was performed using whole-genome sequencing. Results: Of these, 73 samples (58.4%) were detected for dengue viral RNA. The predominant serotype was DENV-3 (N=31, 42.5%), followed by DENV-2 (N=27, 37.0%), DENV-4 (N=13, 17.8%), and DENV-1 (N=2, 2.7%). By analyzing and comparing the whole genome sequence of 3 samples (TR-22, TR-37, and TR-38), all results were DENV-4 Genotype I. The percent of identity for genotype classification ranged from 95.1% to 99.3%. Conclusion: The findings would be useful for establishing effective control and prevention measures for the outbreaks and could contribute to the development of diagnostic tests and vaccines in the future.
Sapcharoen et al. (Fri,) studied this question.