dengue virus infection: challenges and threats

Dengue virus (denv) belongs to the flaviviridae family, which includes different major human disease-causing pathogens affecting mostly intertropical regions. dengue virus is a single-stranded positive-sense rna genome with a length of 11 kb. a single polyprotein is translated into seven non-structural proteins and three structural proteins. some non-coding regions (ntr) are also present at the 3 ends of the genome. it is an arbovirus disease that is transmitted to humans mostly through the bites of mosquitoes, especially mosquitoes of the genus aedes, mainly by aedes aegypti and less often by aedes albopictus. in a recent decade, dengue has caused several outbreaks in some asian and latin american countries with both vectors but aedes albopictus were reported to expand their habitat area. the four serotypes of dengue virus include denv1- 4, and all four serotypes cause infection in humans. the primary denv infection may be asymptomatic or results in mild fever, but if it becomes severe, the most common manifestation of denv infection or dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome (dhf/dss). in addition to serotype‑specific immunity, the interval between an individual’s first denv infection and subsequent infections might be an important determinant of disease severity and several factors involved in virology and the host immune system are associated with the occurrence of dhf/dss. an understanding of the pathogenesis of virus, risk factors, and the various therapeutic and control strategies used to treat denv is essential. dengue fever is now a global public health threat that requires effective licensed vaccines, vector control measures, and early diagnostic tests to curb the disease burden. this study provides special emphasis on the epidemiology, diagnosis, clinical management, pathogenic mechanisms and control of dengue.