Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42789565›Full record

Observational studyPLoS neglected tropical diseases2026

Early warning of serotype replacement, spatial risk redistribution, and shifting clinical phenotypes: Insights from the 2023-2025 dengue outbreak in Meta, Colombia.

Liliana Marcela Montilla Rodríguez, Cesar García-Balaguera, Sandra Campo Palacio, David Bonilla Montes, Yuri Daniela Cadena Díaz, Paula Alejandra Mosquera Tocora, Norma Cristina Pavas Escobar, Camilo Andrade Carreño, Elsa Victoria Andrade Miranda, Marina Sthella Gonzalez Robayo

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Liliana Marcela Montilla RodríguezFaculty of Medicine, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0917-4288
Cesar García-BalagueraFaculty of Medicine, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Sandra Campo PalacioLaboratorio de Salud Pública, GISSME, Secretaría de Salud del Meta, Villavicencio, Colombia.
David Bonilla MontesFaculty of Medicine, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Yuri Daniela Cadena DíazFaculty of Medicine, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Paula Alejandra Mosquera TocoraFaculty of Medicine, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Norma Cristina Pavas EscobarFaculty of Medicine, Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Camilo Andrade CarreñoLaboratorio de Salud Pública, GISSME, Secretaría de Salud del Meta, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Elsa Victoria Andrade MirandaLaboratorio de Salud Pública, GISSME, Secretaría de Salud del Meta, Villavicencio, Colombia.
Marina Sthella Gonzalez RobayoLaboratorio de Salud Pública, GISSME, Secretaría de Salud del Meta, Villavicencio, Colombia.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDengue remains a major public health challenge in hyperendemic regions, where shifts in serotype circulation, spatial transmission patterns, and clinical presentation can significantly influence outbreak dynamics. Colombia has experienced intense dengue activity in recent years; however, integrated analyses combining virological, spatial, and clinical data remain limited.

methodsA retrospective longitudinal observational study was conducted using routinely collected dengue surveillance data from the Department of Meta, Colombia, covering the period from January 2023 to September 2025. Confirmed dengue cases with viral isolation and serotype identification were included. Temporal trends, serotype replacement dynamics, municipal-level spatial redistribution patterns, and clinical characteristics were analyzed using laboratory-confirmed dengue cases. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with dengue positivity overall and by serotype, while interannual variation was assessed to evaluate changes in transmission intensity and the spatial redistribution of dengue transmission risk.

resultsMarked serotype replacement was observed during the study period. DENV-2 predominated during the 2023 peak, followed by a decline and a sustained increase in DENV-3 and DENV-4 by 2025, while DENV-1 disappeared from recent records. Spatial analysis showed declining diagnostic positivity in historically hyperendemic municipalities and significant interannual increases in intermediate municipalities, indicating an epidemiological rebound outside major urban centers. Classical dengue symptoms, including headache, myalgia, and rash, were inversely associated with virological confirmation, whereas nonspecific neurological manifestations, such as somnolence and irritability, emerged as independent predictors. Severe thrombocytopenia remained strongly associated with infection, particularly in DENV-2 cases.

conclusionsThe dengue outbreak in Meta (2023-2025) was characterized by dynamic serotype replacement, spatial redistribution of transmission risk, and changing clinical presentations. The rapid emergence of DENV-4 in 2025 serves as an early warning of serotype replacement and underscores the need to update clinical screening protocols to include nonspecific neurological manifestations. Strengthening decentralized laboratory networks and closing surveillance gaps in low-endemicity areas are strategic priorities to improve early detection and outbreak control in hyperendemic regions.

Indexed as

DengueDengue VirusDisease OutbreaksAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolColombiaFemaleHumansLongitudinal StudiesMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypeRetrospective StudiesSerogroup

Identifiers

PMID42789565
PMCPMC13614597

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.