title: Medical examiner samples: a source for dengue surveillance.
abstract: Post-mortem medical examiner samples may be useful for sentinel surveillance of disorders usually detected by antibody determinations on specimens from ill patients or from surveys. We found anti-dengue IgM positivity in 3% (23/780) and anti-dengue IgG positivity in 77% (597/777) of sera obtained at the Puerto Rico medical examiner (Institute of Forensic Sciences) in December 2000, April 2001, and October 2001. This approach may be a useful alternative for estimating the population prevalence of serologic markers for dengue and other infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Dengue Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Juan, PR. jgrigau@prdigital.com
authors.forename: José G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Rigau-Pérez
authors.forename: José V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mosely Hayes
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vorndam
authors.forename: Gary G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Clark
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002102:Cadaver; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003715:Dengue / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood*; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011647:Puerto Rico
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M