Interepidemic transmission of dengue in the city of Colima, Mexico

To determine the occurrence of interepidemic dengue in a community infested with Aedes aegypti and to analyze its epidemiologic characteristics. A longitudinal probabilistic study was carried out in Colima City between 2001 and 2002. The sample population consisted of 245 subjects. The following were recorded for each subject: sex, age, socio-economic level and dengue fever symptoms, testing for serum IgG and IgM antidengue, using quick immunochromatography as well as ELISA tests, in a seven-month follow-up period. Twelve individuals showed recent dengue infection (incidence: 1.77%; 95%: confidence interval 0.9-3.1%). Of these, eight had recent clinical symptoms (chi 2 = 19.6; p < 0.0001, odss ratio 19.6). Poisson regression analysis showed no evidence of correlation between recent infection and sex, age, or socioeconomic level. Communities infested with A. aegypti, like Colima, may continually exhibit dengue infection with no apparent epidemic. Such infections are seemingly not associated with age, sex, or socioeconomic level, but with clinical symptoms. This situation could be considered an early indicator of interepidemic transmission.