Unexpected diversification of DENV2 genotype III in Colombia: New Insights and application of the globalized nomenclature.
| Title: | Unexpected diversification of DENV2 genotype III in Colombia: New Insights and application of the globalized nomenclature. |
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| Authors: | Calvo EP; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.; Madroñero LJ; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.; Hernández LM; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.; Arturo JA; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.; Pinzón H; Fundación Hospital Infantil Napoleón Franco Pareja - Casa del Niño, Cartagena, Colombia.; Delgado FG; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.; Velandia-Romero ML; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia.; Hill V; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.; Grubaugh ND; Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.; Castellanos JE; Grupo de Virología, Vicerrectoría de Investigaciones, Universidad El Bosque, Bogotá, Colombia. |
| Source: | PloS one [PLoS One] 2026 Feb 24; Vol. 21 (2), pp. e0343528. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Feb 24 (Print Publication: 2026). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science |
| MeSH Terms: | Dengue Virus*/genetics ; Dengue Virus*/classification ; Dengue*/virology ; Dengue*/epidemiology; Colombia/epidemiology ; Phylogeny ; Genotype ; Humans ; Genome, Viral ; Evolution, Molecular ; Genetic Variation ; Venezuela ; Terminology as Topic ; Bayes Theorem |
| Abstract: | Dengue is the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease worldwide and constitutes a major public health concern in Colombia. The disease is caused by four antigenically distinct dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1 to DENV-4), which share more than 65% genome identity. Although all four serotypes co-circulate in Colombia, secondary infections with DENV-2 have frequently been associated with more severe clinical outcomes. DENV-2 comprises six genotypes, of which genotype III has been the dominant lineage in the Americas over the past two decades. In this study, we investigated the evolutionary dynamics of DENV-2 genotype III in Colombia by analyzing available whole-genome coding sequences together with twenty-six newly generated genomes. Bayesian and maximum-likelihood phylogenetic approaches were applied to infer evolutionary relationships and temporal patterns. To harmonize lineage definitions and facilitate regional comparisons, we adopted the recently proposed hierarchical lineage nomenclature and used the Genome Detective Dengue typing tool for automated classification and consolidation of sequences from Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Phylogenetic analyses revealed a broadly distributed major lineage (previously designated D) circulating across the three countries, together with ongoing diversification and repeated introductions of genotype III within Colombia. Four minor lineages were identified, designated D.2.1, D.2.2, D.3.1, and D.3.2. Notably, the diversification of these minor lineages was accompanied by multiple non-synonymous substitutions. In particular, the two lineages currently circulating in Colombia, D.2.1 and D.2.2, are distinguished by approximately 20 mutations; however, the functional implications of these substitutions for viral virulence, pathogenicity, or vector competence remain unknown. These findings support the need for sustained and targeted genomic surveillance to detect and monitor emerging dengue virus lineages, prioritize them for epidemiological follow-up, and inform geographically focused public-health strategies. Overall, this study highlights the value of a globalized nomenclature, which enables the integration of genomic data across countries, facilitates the identification of emerging lineages in the region, and supports molecular surveillance efforts aimed at assessing their potential impact on disease presentation and public health.; (Copyright: © 2026 Calvo et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.) |
| Competing Interests: | The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260224 Date Completed: 20260224 Latest Revision: 20260226 |
| Update Code: | 20260226 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC12931762 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0343528 |
| PMID: | 41734239 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article