Dengue Fever among Renal Transplant Recipients: A Series of 10 Cases in a Tropical Country |
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| Authors: | Silvana Daher Costa Geraldo Bezerra da Silva Jr. Camilla Neves Jacinto Lorena Vasconcelos Mesquita Martiniano Yago Sucupira Amaral Fernando Jose Villar Nogueira Paes Maria Luiza De Mattos Brito Oliveira Sales Ronaldo de Matos Esmeraldo Elizabeth De Francesco Daher |
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| Affiliation: | Post-Graduation Program in Medical Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Division of Renal Transplantation, Hospital Geral de Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil; Post-Graduation Program in Collective Health, School of Medicine, Health Sciences Center, University of Fortaleza, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil |
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| Abstract: | Few studies have focused on Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) transmission in less arid, transitional landscapes surrounding known high-risk regions. The objective of this study was to identify evidence of RVFV exposure in Bodhei Village in a forested area at the edge of the RVFV-epidemic Garissa region. In a household cluster-based survey conducted between epidemics in early 2006, 211 participants were enrolled. Overall seroprevalence for anti-RVFV was high (18%) and comparable with rates in the more arid, dense brush regions farther north. Seroprevalence of adults was 28%, whereas that of children was significantly lower (3%; P < 0.001); the youngest positive child was age 3 years. Males were more likely to be seropositive than females (25% versus 11%; P < 0.01), and animal husbandry activities (birthing, sheltering, and butchering) were strongly associated with seropositivity. The results confirm that significant RVFV transmission occurs outside of recognized high-risk areas and independent of known epidemic periods. |
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