Individuals presenting with febrile or nonfebrile illness in 4 regions of Senegal
Care Setting
Participating clinical surveillance sites in Diourbel, Touba, Thiès, and Kédougou
Key Highlights
The observational surveillance study included 367 participants between September and December 2025.
Multiplex RT-qPCR provided evidence of concurrent DENV, ZIKV, and CHIKV circulation.
Forty-three samples from Touba were tested individually; the remaining specimens were analyzed in 108 pools of 3.
DENV-1-4 NS1-specific IgM was detected in 15 participants (4.1%), supporting recent dengue transmission.
All serotyped DENV-positive samples were identified as DENV-2; the study did not detect DENV-1, DENV-3, or DENV-4.
Targeted amplicon sequencing recovered near-complete DENV-2 genomes more frequently than metagenomic sequencing.
Guideline-Based Recommendations
This observational surveillance study did not establish clinical guidelines for diagnosing, treating, or monitoring individual patients.
Diagnosis
Multiplex RT-qPCR was used to detect DENV, ZIKV, and CHIKV simultaneously.
RT-RPA provided rapid DENV-1-4 serotyping and was completely concordant with RT-qPCR within the tested subset.
Pool-level RT-qPCR positivity should not be interpreted as individual-level prevalence.
Routine malaria rapid tests were negative in all participants, although metagenomic sequencing detected Plasmodium falciparum reads in 3 samples.
Management
The study evaluated a surveillance workflow rather than clinical treatment or patient-management strategies.
Positive RT-qPCR or RT-RPA samples were prioritized for genomic sequencing.
The tiered design reduced the number of samples requiring more resource-intensive sequencing.
The study did not evaluate whether the workflow improved treatment decisions or clinical outcomes.
Monitoring & Follow-up
DENV serology provided additional evidence of recent transmission in the sampled population.
Phylogenetic analysis characterized the detected DENV-2 genotype and lineage.
Longer surveillance periods are needed to capture seasonal variation.
Genomic characterization of the detected ZIKV and CHIKV was not performed.
Risks
Overlapping clinical syndromes may contribute to under-recognition of arboviral infections.
Pooled testing may underestimate infection burden and prevents calculation of individual prevalence.
Exclusive DENV-2 detection among serotyped samples does not establish the absence of other serotypes throughout Senegal.
The short surveillance period limits conclusions about seasonal transmission patterns.
Patient & Prescribing Data
The study included 367 individuals presenting with febrile or nonfebrile illness across 4 Senegalese regions. Of these specimens, 43 were tested individually and the remainder were screened in 108 pools containing 3 samples each.
The study did not evaluate medications, prescribing practices, antiviral treatment, or clinical outcomes.
Clinical Best Practices
Interpret pooled RT-qPCR findings as surveillance signals rather than individual prevalence estimates.
Use RT-RPA as a triage step for rapid dengue serotyping and selection of samples for sequencing.
Combine molecular findings with serologic and genomic evidence when characterizing arbovirus circulation.
Use targeted amplicon sequencing to improve DENV-2 genome recovery from selected positive samples.
Apply the findings cautiously because surveillance was conducted over a short period and sequencing was limited to DENV-2.
Related Resources & Content
A Tiered Molecular Surveillance Framework Linking Rapid Dengue Detection to Genomic Epidemiology in Senegal — Gaye A, Vaidya V, Toure M, et al. International Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2026;171:109009. doi:10.1016/j.ijid.2026.109009.
A VHA study across 11 vendors finds AI-generated primary care notes score lower than clinician-written notes, with the largest deficits in thoroughness, organization, and usefulness
Federal prosecutors allege that a Florida physician and research staff fabricated clinical trial records that were submitted into database systems used to evaluate investigational drugs.
