title: Dengue-3 outbreak in Paraguay: investigations using capillary blood samples on filter paper.
abstract: During a dengue-3 outbreak in Paraguay at the beginning of 2007, capillary blood samples absorbed onto filter papers were collected from 44 suspected cases. These samples were subjected to three molecular and serologic tests, and 31 of the 44 samples gave a positive result by at least one of the techniques used. Molecular analyses detected the dengue-3 serotype in 22 patients and additionally the dengue-2 serotype in two patients. Therefore two different serotypes were co-circulating during this outbreak. Overall, this study validates the use of dried-blood samples for field screening investigations. Indeed, all types of laboratory studies of dengue were possible with samples consisting of a few drops of dried blood from finger pricks.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de Référence des Arbovirus, Institut Pasteur de la Guyane, Cayenne, French Guiana. smatheus@pasteur-cayenne.fr
authors.forename: Severine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matheus
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Meynard
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavergne
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Girod
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Moua
authors.forename: Bhety
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Labeau
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dussart
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lacoste
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Deparis
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000097:blood; D003715:Dengue / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D010209:Paper; D010239:Paraguay / Q000453:epidemiology; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral