Oyinloye, A. A., and *Adesina, O. A.
Department of Microbiology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
*Correspondence to: adesinaf@oauife.edu.ng; Tel: 08034135898
Abstract:
Background: Dengue fever, one of the viral infections that shares clinical features with malaria, is a reason for common misdiagnosis and under-reporting in resource-limited places. This cross sectional study was designed to determine the prevalence of Dengue virus (DENV) specific IgM and IgG antibodies among apparently healthy and sick individuals attending health facilites in selected rural and sub-urban areas in Osun State.
Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 164 randomly selected consenting participants visiting some healthcare facilities in selected localities of Osun State, Nigeria, between November 2024 and September 2025. Venous blood samples were collected from participants for the detection of DENV IgM and IgG using rapid diagnostic test kits following the manufacturers instructions. Data were collected with structured questionnaires and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) v23. Descriptive statistic was used for prevalence estimation, and Chi-square test was used to determine association between variables. Significance level was set at p≤0.05.
Results: The overall prevalence of DENV IgM among the participants was 7.3% (n=12/164) while that of DENV IgG was 14.6% (n=24/164). Co-detection of IgM and IgG occurred in 4.9% (n=8/164) of the participants. The prevalence of DENV IgM was highest among individuals aged 11-20 years (15.2%, n=5/33), followed by aged 61-70 years (9.1%, n=1/11) and 21-30 years (8.9%, n=5/58). Females had higher DENV IgM and IgG prevalence of 9.7% (n=11/113) and 18.6% (n=21/113) respectively, compared to males. Spatially, sub-urban dwellers had higher prevalence of DENV IgM (9.7%, n=6/62) and IgG (24.2%, n=15/62), compared to rural and urban dwellers. A significantly higher prevalence of DENV IgM (p=0.024) was observed among artisans (26.7%, n=4/15), compared to other occupational groups.
Conclusion: This study shows that Dengue virus infection is present in the population with evidence of both recent (IgM) and previous (IgG) infections, and there is the indication of re-infection, possibility of secondary infections or continuous reactions in the immune system, with the likelihood of pressure on the virus which may lead to mutations of any kind. This calls for surveillance with a wider coverage and laboratory empowerment to avoid misdiagnosis. A larger sample size and molecular analysis would give a better insight into the epidemiology of Dengue in the population.
Keywords: Dengue, detection, antibodies, seroprevalence, rural, sub-urban
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