Abstract
Managing dengue effectively is crucial due to four virus serotypes causing varying infection severities. Dengue fever has becoming more prevalent. Cases of haemorrhagic fever place a significant cost on society and its survivors. This study analyses prevalent serotypes during an endemic situation for severity and community transmission.
During a dengue outbreak in 2022, 514 samples were included in this study, and various diagnostic tests were employed. Dengue viral NS1 antigen gene, IgM antibody detection were executed using ELISA tests, while dengue RT-PCR for molecular confirmation using single-tube dengue multiplex RT-PCR assays to detect the presence of viral RNA and determine the infecting serotype. Data suggested that 108 were highly positive for dengue viral NS1Ag. Sensitivity and specificity of single-tube RT-PCR for dengue were found to be 79.41 and 100% respectively. Among the samples tested with the dengue Multiplex Real-Time PCR assay, 50.60% (n=41) were positive with DENV-2 being the most prevalent serotype followed by DENV-1 (32.10%, n=26) and DENV-3 (12.3%, n= 10).
Dengue fever is a global health challenge, especially in India. Serotyping identifies circulating serotypes. RT-PCR multiplexing assay can be a promising molecular diagnostic method, proving highly sensitive, specific, and rapid. It holds great promise for swift and reliable dengue virus detection and serotyping, enhancing future identification of cases for vaccine development.