title: [Dengue hemorrhagic fever serotype and infection pattern in a Colombian endemic area].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describing the relationship between viral serotypes, infection pattern and dengue hemorrhagic fever.
  
  
  METHODS
  1,545 febrile patients were studied from 1998-2004 in the Santander department of Colombia. Dengue infection was confirmed by IgM ELISA and the virus was isolated in C6/36 cells. Infection pattern was established by detecting IgG antibodies in acute serum. Neutralising antibody titres were investigated in dengue cases occurring during years when less (1998) and more (2001) dengue hemorrhagic cases were reported by using PRNT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DEN-1 predominance in 1998 and the re-introduction of DEN-3 in 2001 coincided with an epidemic. DEN-2 infection caused more hemorrhagic cases than DEN-3 infection (24,5 % cf 11,2 %; p<0.05). DEN-2 was more associated with secondary infection than DEN-3 (56,8 % cf 15,7 %; p<0.001). An annual decrease of DHF was correlated with decreased DEN-2 dominance (r=0.95; p= 0.01), and secondary infection (r=0.9; p=0.03) and increased DEN-3 predominance (r=-0.91; p=0.03). There were no differences in neutralising antibody titres amongst analysed cases. DEN-1 neutralising antibodies presented the highest titres.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Change in relative dengue virus serotype abundance was associated with changed infection pattern and DHF frequency. Continuing virological surveillance should become a priority for preventing dengue hemorrhagic fever in endemic areas.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia. relocaz@uis.edu.co
authors.forename: Raquel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ocazionez
authors.forename: Sergio Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Fabián M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Cortés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012703:Serotyping; D019595:Severe Dengue / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M