AMB Volume 42, Issue 3, 2026 Pages 447-452 https://doi.org/10.59393/amb26420307
Retrospective, Serological Detection of Dengue and Chikungunya Virus in Southwest Bulgaria - Pilot Study
Sirakov I., O’Dowd D., Shishkov S., Shishkova K.
In recent years, there has been a dramatic change in the distribution of mosquitoes in Europe, including two vectors associated with vector-borne infections of concern, A. albopictus and A. aegypti. As their populations increase and their range expands, the likelihood of vector-borne viruses such as Dengue and Chikungunya increases. These viruses were previously endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, but with changing climatic and anthropogenic factors, they are becoming a greater threat to Europe, the Balkan countries, and Bulgaria. The demonstration of IgM and IgG antibodies against Dengue and Chikungunya viruses is an important diagnostic parameter. In connection with the above, the aim of the study is to examine serological samples from a region of southwestern Bulgaria bordering Greece. In the serological study conducted using the ELISA method for the detection of IgG antibodies, the positive samples for Dengue were 29 in number (31.18%, and those for Chikungunya virus were 3 or 3.22% of the total number of samples (93). The suspicious ones were, respectively, 15 samples (16.12%) for Dengue and 4 samples (4.3%) for Chikungunya, of the total number of samples (93). The results showed that the local population is at risk of infection with both viruses, due to the increasingly widespread distribution of vectors in Europe and probably due to regular visits to Greek beaches. In the presence of symptoms related to arthritis and arthralgia, family doctors and specialists are recommended to refer patients to serological and molecular-biological studies for evidence of Dengue and Chikungunya infections.
Keywords: arboviruses, Balkans, serology test, pandemic, asymptomatic, Dengue, Chikungunya
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