Dengue and COVID-19 Co-Circulation in the Peruvian Amazon: A Population-Based Study

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2023 Apr 24;108(6):1249-1255. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.22-0539. Print 2023 Jun 7.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the main Amazon cities dramatically, with Iquitos City reporting the highest seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies during the first COVID-19 wave worldwide. This phenomenon raised many questions about the possibility of a co-circulation of dengue and COVID-19 and its consequences. We carried out a population-based cohort study in Iquitos, Peru. We obtained a venous blood sample from a subset of 326 adults from the Iquitos COVID-19 cohort (August 13-18, 2020) to estimate the seroprevalence of anti-dengue virus (DENV) and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We tested each serum sample for anti-DENV IgG (serotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4) and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies anti-spike IgG and IgM by ELISA. We estimated an anti-SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 78.0% (95% CI, 73.0-82.0) and an anti-DENV seroprevalence of 88.0% (95% CI, 84.0-91.6), signifying a high seroprevalence of both diseases during the first wave of COVID-19 transmission in the city. The San Juan District had a lower anti-DENV antibody seroprevalence than the Belen District (prevalence ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82-0.98). However, we did not observe these differences in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence. Iquitos City presented one of the highest seroprevalence rates of anti-DENV and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies worldwide, but with no correlation between their antibody levels.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19* / epidemiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Pandemics
  • Peru / epidemiology
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G