In August 2013, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China, had its first dengue outbreak. Dengue virus (DENV) RNA detection in sera or viral isolates revealed that all 222 autochthonous patients detected and three Chinese travelers from Laos (imported cases) were positive for DENV-3 serotype, while DENV-1 and DENV-4 were detected in travelers from Myanmar and Thailand during the outbreak. For 33 suspected dengue cases collected before the outbreak, two imported cases from Laos and nine residents living in Laos (Laotian cases) were positive for DENV-3. Further, a random subset of 33 positive cases for DENV-3 was sequenced for the full envelope gene of DENV. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all of the 25 autochthonous cases sequenced were grouped into the same clade, genotype II of DENV-3, with imported cases from Laos and Laotian cases. These results suggest that the genotype II of DENV-3 was associated with the outbreak and may have originated from the virus circulating in Laos.

During 2007 and 2010, an extensive entomological survey was performed to assess the distribution of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne arboviruses at Lancang River and Nu River watersheds in southwestern China. A total of 20,450 mosquitoes consisting 20 species was trapped and submitted 261 pools according to species and location. Culex tritaeniorhynchus and Anopheles sinensis were the most abundant species. Eighty-seven isolates representing 11 virus species in 8 genera were obtained from 6 mosquito species. The new isolates were identified as Getah virus (GETV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), Yunnan Culex-related flavivirus (YNCxFV), Yunnan Aedes-related flavivirus (YNAeFV), Banna virus (BAV), Yunnan orbivirus (YUOV), Banna orbivirus (BAOV), Yunnan totivirus (YNToV), Nam Dinh virus (NDiV), Menghai rhabdovirus (MRV), and Anopheles minimus iridovirus (AMIV). These viruses included confirmed or potential pathogen of human disease, such as JEV, BAV, and NDiV, and several novel or reassortant arboviruses, such as YNAeFV, MRV, AMIV, and BAOV. GETV, JEV, YNCxFV, and NDiV were widely prevalent in the whole basin of the two rivers. The findings contribute to our understanding of the diversity and wide distribution of mosquito-borne arboviruses in the area, and are helpful to explore pathogenic evidence for fevers and viral encephalitis of unknown etiology.