Virological surveillance of dengue in Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, French West Indies, using blood samples on filter paper

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2012 Jan;86(1):159-65. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0475.

Abstract

To strengthen active dengue surveillance in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, two French Caribbean islands, we evaluated the epidemiological usefulness of collecting blood samples from NS1-positive dengue patients on filter paper to identify the dengue serotypes circulating in these regions during a 27-month period. This approach allowed dengue serotypes to be identified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in 90.1% of the total set of 666 samples analyzed and, in 95.5% of the samples collected during the acute phase of the disease. This prospective virological surveillance using blood samples absorbed onto filter paper, which were stored at 4°C and shipped at ambient temperature to a specialized laboratory for analysis, allowed us to avoid the logistic and financial costs associated with shipping frozen venous blood samples. This surveillance system offers a low-cost alternative for reinforcing dengue prevention in areas where specialized laboratories do not exist, notably by facilitating the early detection of potentially new dengue serotypes.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Blood Specimen Collection / methods*
  • Dengue / blood
  • Dengue / epidemiology*
  • Dengue / virology
  • Dengue Virus / classification*
  • Dengue Virus / genetics
  • Dengue Virus / isolation & purification*
  • Female
  • Filtration
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Paper
  • Population Surveillance / methods*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Serotyping
  • West Indies / epidemiology