DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2018.v06i05.074

Pages: 2259-2263

Early diagnosis of dengue virus infections is essential for the timely management of dengue infections. Aim: The aim of the present study is to compare results of enzyme linked immunesorbent assays [ELISA] of dengue nonstructural protein 1 [NS1]) and IgM antibody and to prove that use of NS1 with IgM ELISA tests improves the laboratory diagnosis of dengue. Settings& Design: Present cross-sectional study was conducted at a Govt. Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital, Hyderabad. One hundred seventy-four serum samples were screened from clinically suspected cases of dengue fever of one week or less duration reporting at the Tertiary Care Center, Hyderabad from August 2017 to January 2018. All 174 samples were subjected to NS1 antigen early ELISA and IgM capture ELISA. Results: 66 samples (37.93%) gave positive reaction either in NS1 Ag detection test or in IgM antibody ELISA.Twenty-two patients showed positive for NS1 antigen (12.64%) and fifty-four patients (31.03%) showed positive IgM ELISA and both the tests were positive in ten patients (5.75%). Conclusion: Dengue NS1 antigen is useful for rapid and accurate diagnosis in acute phase of illness. Combination of dengue NS1 antigen and IgM ELISA on single sample can improve the diagnosis of dengue without the requirement of paired sera.