Epidemiological trends and molecular dynamics of dengue, chikungunya virus infection, coinfection, and other undifferentiated fever during 2015‐2016 in Odisha, India

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection is spatiotemporally related to dengue virus (DENV) infection and mostly undiagnosed due to similar primary symptoms. In 2013, a high rate (36%) of coinfection of DENV and CHIKV was reported in Odisha. Hence, the hospital‐based study was continued to synthesis current epidemiological understanding of their single distribution or coinfection. Suspected DENV patients serum samples were tested for DENV and CHIKV by serology and reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction. The positive samples were used for analysis of mutation, selection pressure, and phylogenetic relationship. Clinical information was also analyzed. Among 648 (2015 and 2016) suspected DENV patients, 141 (21.7%) were positive for DENV (serotypes 1‐3), 22 (3.4%) were positive for CHIKV (ECSA) and 4 (2.8%) were coinfected with both. Sequence analysis showed four consistent mutations (M104V, V112A, K166N, and F169L) in CprM gene of DENV 2 and two consistent mutations (M269V, D284E) in E1 gene of CHIKV. Interestingly, the CHIKV‐ E1 A226V mutation was absent in the studied population. It was also noticed that the peak incidence of both the infections occurs in August‐September in 2015‐16. Moreover, Plasmodium species, Salmonella typhi , and Rickettsial typhi infections were also observed in DENV patients. Different etiology was also detected in other undifferentiated fever patients as mixed infections (malaria, S. typhi , and R. typhi ). Hence, this investigation shows the significant reduction of DENV‐CHIKV coinfection as compared with previous report, the burden of arboviruses and acute undifferentiated fever in Odisha in 2015‐2016, highlighting the importance of epidemiological picture of febrile patients for appropriate patient management.