Dataset DENV&CHIKV&SARS y2022m01 [56]

Detection of SARS-CoV-2
antibodies in febrile patients from an endemic region of dengue and chikungunya
in Peru

ABSTRACT

Introduction

The rapid
expansion of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus has raised serious public health
concerns due to the possibility of misdiagnosis in regions where arboviral
diseases are endemic. We performed the first study in northern Peru to describe
the detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibodies in febrile patients with a suspected
diagnosis of dengue and chikungunya fever.

Materials and
Methods

A consecutive
cross-sectional study was performed in febrile patients attending primary healthcare centers from April 2020 through
March 2021. Patients enrolled underwent
serum sample collection for the molecular and serological detection of DENV and
CHIKV. Also, serological detection of IgM antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was
performed.

Results

464 patients were
included during the study period, of which (40.51%) were positive for one
pathogen, meanwhile (6.90%) presented co-infections between 2 or more
pathogens. The majority of patients with monoinfections were positive for
SARS-CoV-2 IgM with (73.40%), followed by DENV 18.09% and CHIKV (8.51%). The
most frequent co-infection was DENV + SARS-CoV-2 with (65.63%), followed by
DENV + CHIKV and DENV + CHIKV + SARS-CoV-2, both with (12.50%). The presence of
polyarthralgias in hands (43.75%, p<0.01) and feet (31.25%, p=0.05) were
more frequently reported in patients with CHIKV monoinfection. Also,
conjunctivitis was more common in patients positive for SARS-CoV-2 IgM (11.45%,
p<0.01). The rest of the symptoms were similar among all the study groups.

Conclusion

SARS-CoV-2 IgM
antibodies were frequently detected in acute sera from febrile patients with a
clinical suspicion of arboviral disease.
The presence of polyarthralgias in hands and feet may be suggestive of
CHIKV infection. These results reaffirm the need to
consider SARS-CoV-2 infection as a main differential diagnosis of acute febrile
illness in arboviruses endemic areas, as
well as to consider co-infections between these pathogens.