Intra-host dengue virus genetic diversity among primary and secondary infections in Laos

There are an estimated 100-400 million cases of dengue annually with most occurring in Asia. There are four different types of dengue virus: DENV1 to DENV4. Therefore one person can be infected by dengue four times in his or her life. Severe disease is more common in patients who have been infected before. The genetic make-up of DENV also contributes to disease severity. Blood samples will be collected from patients hospitalised with dengue fever and sequencing techniques used to investigate the genetic diversity of the dengue virus causing their infection. The data will be analysed to assess whether there are differences in patients having their first infection compared to patients who have had two or more infections. The results of our project will help us to understand how new more virulent strains of DENV emerge and could lead to development of better tools for viral surveillance and epidemic forecasting.