Full genome analysis of circulating DENV‐2 in Senegal reveals a regional diversification into separate clades

International audienceTo assess the genetic diversity of circulating dengue virus 2 (DENV-2) in Senegal, we analyzed nine newly generated complete genomes of strains isolated during the 2018 outbreaks and 06 sequences obtained in 2018 and 2019 from Thiès and Rosso, respectively. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Senegalese strains belonged to the cosmopolitan genotype of DENV-2, but we observed intragenotype variability leading to a divergence in two clades associated with specific geographic distribution. We report two DENV-2 variants belonging to two distinct clades. Isolates from the "Northern clade" (n = 8) harbored three nonsynonymous mutations (V1183M, R1405K, P2266T) located respectively on NS2A, NS2B, and NS4A, while isolates from the "Western clade" (n = 7) had two nonsynonymous mutations (V1185E, V3214E) located respectively in the NS2A and NS5 genes. These findings call for phylogeographic analysis to investigate routes of introductions, dispersal patterns, and in-depth in vitro and functional study to elucidate the impact of observed mutations on viral fitness, spread, epidemiology, and pathology