Dengue diagnostics: proceedings of an international workshop
Proceedings of a joint TDR/WHO and PDVI workshop
4–6 October 2004 | WHO/TDR | Geneva, Switzerland
Summary
Dengue is diagnosed by isolation of the virus, by serology, or by molecular diagnostic methods. Although several commercial kits for the diagnosis of dengue are available, concerns have arisen with respect to the performance characteristics of these kits. In theory, it should be possible to establish a diagnosis of on-going or recent dengue infection during the acute or early convalescent stages of the disease. When such tests require the identification of the virus or the viral genome they are expensive and require specialized laboratories. Affordable commercial kits of adequate sensitivity and specificity that are able to diagnose dengue infection during the acute stage have not been developed. It is also possible that virological or physiological tests applied during the acute stage of the illness might be capable of predicting the severity of dengue virus infection.
The aims of this workshop were to review available data on the performance and utility of rapid tests, to investigate new developments in dengue diagnostics, and to develop strategies for the selection of the best tests to assist in the diagnosis of the disease.