Zoonotic and Vector-borne Infections

Arboviruses are an increasing public health concern driven by international travel, climate change, expanding vector distribution, and recurrent outbreaks. Dengue remains one of the most significant challenges, with a substantial proportion of the global population at risk and hundreds of millions of infections estimated each year.

Dengue, Zika, and chikungunya frequently co-circulate in the same geographic regions and can cause clinically overlapping febrile illnesses, making differentiation based on symptoms alone difficult. In addition, emerging viruses such as Oropouche and Mayaro are gaining importance in tropical regions of the Americas and may be mistaken for other arboviral infections.

In this context, dengue-negative samples may require further investigation when clinical presentation, travel history, or epidemiological exposure remain consistent with an arboviral infection. Laboratories need flexible and adaptable molecular tools to support differential diagnosis, epidemiological surveillance, and outbreak investigations in patients presenting with acute febrile syndromes.