Use of serum and blood samples on filter paper to improve the surveillance of Dengue in Pacific Island Countries.
BACKGROUND
In Pacific Island Countries (PICs) the epidemiology of dengue is characterized by long-term transmission of a single dengue virus (DENV) serotype. The emergence of a new serotype in one island country often indicates major outbreaks with this serotype will follow in other PICs.


OBJECTIVE
Filter paper (FP) cards on which whole blood or serum from dengue suspected patients had been dried was evaluated as a method for transportation of this material by standard mail delivery throughout the Pacific.


METHODS
Twenty-two FP-dried whole blood samples collected from patients in New Caledonia and Wallis & Futuna Islands, during DENV-1 and DENV-4 transmission, and 76 FP-dried sera collected from patients in Yap State, Majuro (Republic of Marshall Islands), Tonga and Fiji, before and during outbreaks of DENV-2 in Yap State and DENV-4 in Majuro, were tested for the presence of DENV RNA, by serotype specific RT-PCR, at the Institut Louis Malardé in French Polynesia.


RESULTS
The serotype of DENV could be determined, by a variety of RT-PCR procedures, in the FP-dried samples after more than three weeks of transport at ambient temperatures. In most cases, the sequencing of the envelope gene to genotype the viruses also was possible.


CONCLUSIONS
The serotype and genotype of DENV can be determined from FP-dried serum or whole blood samples transported over thousands of kilometers at ambient, tropical, temperatures. This simple and low-cost approach to virus identification should be evaluated in isolated and resource poor settings for surveillance for a range of significant viral diseases.
Institut Louis Malardé, BP 30, 98713 Papeete Tahiti, French Polynesia.
Maite
M
Aubry
Claudine
C
Roche
Myrielle
M
Dupont-Rouzeyrol
John
J
Aaskov
Jérôme
J
Viallon
Maria
M
Marfel
Paul
P
Lalita
Salanieta
S
Elbourne-Duituturaga
Suzanne
S
Chanteau
Didier
D
Musso
Boris I
BI
Pavlin
Dustin
D
Harrison
Jacob L
JL
Kool
Van-Mai
VM
Cao-Lormeau
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003715:Dengue / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D059788:Dried Blood Spot Testing / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010139:Pacific Islands; D010802:Phylogeny; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D012367:RNA, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins