The dengue virus. (credit: Perdue University)
As far as historic nicknames go, Typhoid Mary and Typhoid Joe are probably not the most flattering. But now it seems that there may be a whole bunch of Dengue Mary and Joes to keep them company. A study with kids in Cambodia is the first to examine the transmission of dengue virus from asymptomatic but infected humans into mosquitoes.
It found that asymptomatic and presymptomatic people were even more likely to pass the virus on to mosquitoes than people who were actually sick with dengue. These results may have ramifications for the trajectory of dengue outbreaks and epidemics of similar viruses, like yellow fever.
Prevention of dengue has relied on controlling mosquito populations, which has thus far not been a super successful endeavor. About three-quarters of people infected with dengue are asymptomatic—their infection does not impede their daily lives because they have lower levels of circulating virus in their blood than those who are suffering from symptoms.
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