Outbreak of dengue virus type-3 in Malakand, Pakistan 2015; A laboratory perspective

An outbreak of dengue fever was reported in Malakand district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan during 2015. Detection of viral RNA by real-time PCR confirmed dengue virus serotype-3 (DENV-3) to be the causative agent causing the outbreak. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial E-NS1 gene sequences showed that the DENV-3 viruses belonged to genotype III with maximum homology with the dengue-3 strains previously reported from Pakistan and India. Our current report provides updated information on molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analysis of dengue virus serotypes responsible for 2015 outbreak in KP.