Dengue: a review of the laboratory tests a clinician must know to achieve a correct diagnosis

Abstract

Currently, dengue diagnosis is based on serology, viral isolation and RNA detection. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are still the most widely used technique for serological diagnosis, but they do not identify the dengue virus serotype responsible for the current infection, so molecular techniques may soon assume a very important role in dengue diagnosis. RT-PCR is definitely the most satisfactory test that can be used on these infections, since it has been shown to be able to detect dengue viruses up to the 10 th day after the onset of the symptoms.

Ns1 Antigen Detection by Elisa in Early Laboratory Diagnosis of Dengue Infection

“…[27] The IgM capture ELISA is most commonly used in India due to its low cost, ease of handling and nonrequirement of sophisticated equipment. [28] However, time to IgM production varies considerably among patients. Some patients have detectable IgM by the third day of symptoms, others do not develop detectable IgM until the eighth day of symptoms.…”

Padronização e uso de um método imunoenzimático que utiliza células infectadas como antígeno no diagnóstico rotineiro do dengue

“…Para confirmar a infecção por DENV-3, as células eram transferidas para lâminas de vidro nos círculos delimitados (spots), fixadas e submetidas a um teste de imunofluorescência indireta 5 .…”

“…Dentre os métodos sorológicos, em nosso meio, são mais comumente utilizados métodos imunoenzimáticos que permitem detectar IgM específica associada à infecção aguda por dengue e dentre estes, destaca-se o MAc-ELISA 4,5 . Para o presente trabalho, visando à detecção de anticorpos IgM e IgG contra dengue, destacamos um método imunoenzimático que utiliza culturas celulares infectadas como antígeno no teste (EIA-ICC -enzyme immunoassay on infected cultured cells) 6 ,7 .…”

An epidemiological study of fever outbreak in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India

“…[6][7][8] Laboratory diagnosis of a recent dengue virus infection may be done by detection of the virus in patient's blood, either by virus isolation insusceptible cell cultures or by detection of the viral RNA by reverse transcriptasepolymerase (RT-PCR) chain reaction based techniques. 9,10 These processes are very specific and should be performed within 48 hours following the onset of illness in a well-equipped laboratory, as the virus disappears after that period. However, detection of IgM antibodies by ELISA method and detection of rise of antibody titres with the convalescent samples by Haemagglutination inhibition test are well accepted serological methods for the diagnosis of dengue infection.…”