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Volume 31, Number 11—November 2025

Research Letter

Molecular Evidence of Dengue Virus Serotype 2 in Travelers Returning to Israel from the Sinai Peninsula

Neta S. Zuckerman1Comments to Author , Guy Choshen1, Yaniv Lustig, Anna Shoykhet, Keren Friedman, Tatyana Kushnir, Ora Halutz, Hovav Azulay, Victoria Indenbaum1, and Eli Schwartz1
Author affiliation: Sheba Medical Center, Ramat-Gan, Israel (N.S. Zuckerman, Y. Lustig, K. Friedman, T. Kushnir, V. Indenbaum, E. Schwartz); Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel (G. Choshen, Y. Lustig, O. Halutz, E. Schwartz); Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel (G. Choshen, A. Shoykhet); Infectious Disease Institute, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheba, Israel (H. Azulay)

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Figure

Epidemiology, phylogeny, and geography of dengue virus (DENV) serotype 2 (DENV-2) circulation in the Red Sea region in study of molecular evidence of DENV-2 emergence from travelers returning to Israel from the Sinai Peninsula. A) Phylogenetic analysis of DENV-2 whole-genome sequences. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using the samples from Israel sequenced in this study (n = 3) alongside global DENV-2 sequences from the past decade (n = 1,492) available in the DENV-2 Nextstrain build (https://nextstrain.org/dengue/denv2/genome). The radial tree illustrates the global DENV-2 genotypes, highlighting the Israel sequences (n = 3, circled) within the broader dataset. Nodes are color-coded by DENV genotype. The cluster marked by a black arc is magnified in the right portion. The rectangular tree focuses on the cluster containing the Israeli sequences (n = 3), showing the genetic divergence within the group. Nodes are color-coded by the country of origin, and the number of mutations connecting the Israeli cluster to the nearest ancestor is indicated in parentheses. B) Dengue fever outbreak locations, including the current outbreak in Sharm El-Sheikh (star) and outbreaks reported in the region in recent years (black circles labeled by year): Jeddah 2006 (3), El-Quseir 2017 (4), Port Sudan 2019 (5), Jizan 2022 (6), and Hurghada 2023 (7).

Figure. Epidemiology, phylogeny, and geography of dengue virus (DENV) serotype 2 (DENV-2) circulation in the Red Sea region in study of molecular evidence of DENV-2 emergence from travelers returning to Israel from the Sinai Peninsula. A) Phylogenetic analysis of DENV-2 whole-genome sequences. Phylogenetic tree was constructed using the samples from Israel sequenced in this study (n = 3) alongside global DENV-2 sequences from the past decade (n = 1,492) available in the DENV-2 Nextstrain build (https://nextstrain.org/dengue/denv2/genome). The radial tree illustrates the global DENV-2 genotypes, highlighting the Israel sequences (n = 3, circled) within the broader dataset. Nodes are color-coded by DENV genotype. The cluster marked by a black arc is magnified in the right portion. The rectangular tree focuses on the cluster containing the Israeli sequences (n = 3), showing the genetic divergence within the group. Nodes are color-coded by the country of origin, and the number of mutations connecting the Israeli cluster to the nearest ancestor is indicated in parentheses. B) Dengue fever outbreak locations, including the current outbreak in Sharm El-Sheikh (star) and outbreaks reported in the region in recent years (black circles labeled by year): Jeddah 2006 (3), El-Quseir 2017 (4), Port Sudan 2019 (5), Jizan 2022 (6), and Hurghada 2023 (7).

Main Article

References
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1These authors contributed equally to this article.

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