SERO-PREVALENCE OF DENGUE AND CHIKUNGUNYA, THEIR CO-INFECTION AND SEASONAL TRENDS OF THESE INFECTIONS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT

K.P. MODI¹*, D.A. PATEL², M.M. VEGAD³, A.U. MISTRY⁴, N.J. PADARIA⁵, A.B. RATHOD^6
1Department of Microbiology, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, 380016, Gujarat, India
²Department of Microbiology, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, 380016, Gujarat, India
³Department of Microbiology, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, 380016, Gujarat, India
⁴Department of Microbiology, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, 380016, Gujarat, India
⁵Department of Microbiology, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, 380016, Gujarat, India
⁶Department of Microbiology, B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, 380016, Gujarat, India
* Corresponding Author : kairvi29490@gmail.com

Received : 06-12-2016     Accepted : 12-01-2017     Published : 28-01-2017
Volume : 9     Issue : 1       Pages : 819 - 822
Int J Microbiol Res 9.1 (2017):819-822

Keywords : Dengue, Chikungunya, Co-infection, Aedes aegypti, Seasonal trend, ELISA test
Conflict of Interest : None declared
Acknowledgements/Funding : None declared
Author Contribution : All the authors contributed in this article

Background: Dengue and chikungunya are an important mosquito-borne viral diseases of humans. There has been a recurrent phenomenon throughout the tropics in the past decade. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the common vectors for both dengue and chikungunya virus. In areas where both viruses co-circulate , they can be transmitted together. Aims & Objectives-This study was conducted to know the prevalence of dengue and chikungunya, their co-infection, Seasonal trends of these infections. Material and Methods- Study was performed at a tertiary care hospital Ahmedabad, Gujarat from July 2013 to July 2014 . Blood samples collected in plain tubes were tested for dengue Ig M antibody, NS1 antigen and Chikungunya Ig M antibodies. The month wise laboratory records were analyzed for seasonal variations. Results- In our study we tested total 8148 samples for dengue, chikungunya and its co-infection. Out of 8148 test requests, 4683 were requested for dengue and 1265 were requested for chikungunya alone while 1100 were requested for both dengue and chikungunya. A total of 992 samples were found positive for dengue out of 5783 total samples. Over all prevalence of dengue in our study was 17.15% (992/5783). In our study out of 4683 samples for dengue, overall prevalence of dengue was 20.26% (949/4683). Samples received for chikungunya were 2365 from which 795 were found positive. Over all prevalence of chikungunya was 33.61% (795/2365). Out of 1100 samples that were requested for both, 220 (20.0%) were positive for dengue, 231 (21.0%) were positive for chikungunya and 43 (3.9%) were positive for both. Seasonal trend showed a gradual increase in dengue and chikungunya positive started from August with a peak in September. Conclusion- Dengue and chikungunya viruses can cause dual infections in humans. Co-infections may result in illness with overlapping signs and symptoms, making diagnosis and treatment difficult. Hence, clinically suspected cases should be tested for both the pathogens in the endemic areas. With the urbanization that is occurring in India, the incidence of dengue infection is increasing theatrically. With assumption that cases of co-infection with dengue and chikungunya will become more prevalent in the future due to increased transmission of both viruses in various areas of India, enhanced and continuous surveillance for both dengue and chikungunya viruses is essential in the endemic areas for identification and characterization of these viral pathogens. This information will also help in the execution of proper measures to control the outbreaks caused by these emerging viral pathogens.