title: Frequency and clinical manifestations of dengue in urban medellin, Colombia.
abstract: A dengue fever surveillance study was conducted at three medical facilities located in the low-income district of San Javier in Medellin, Colombia. During March 2008 to 2009, 781 patients with fever regardless of chief complaint were recruited for acute dengue virus infection testing. Of the 781 tested, 73 (9.3%) were positive for dengue infection. Serotypes DENV-2 (77%) and -3 (23%) were detected by PCR. One patient met the diagnostic criteria for dengue hemorrhagic fever. Only 3 out of 73 (4.1%) febrile subjects testing positive for dengue infection were diagnosed with dengue fever by the treating physician. This study confirms dengue virus as an important cause of acute febrile illness in Medellin, Colombia, but it is difficult to diagnose without dengue diagnostic testing.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: Berta Nelly
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Restrepo
authors.affiliation: Biogen Idec, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Beatty
authors.affiliation: Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: Yenny
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Goez
authors.affiliation: Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.affiliation: El Paso County Public Health, Colorado Springs, CO 80907, USA.
authors.forename: G William
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Letson
authors.affiliation: Grupo Inmunovirología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Diaz
authors.affiliation: Instituto Colombiano de Medicina Tropical, Universidad CES, Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia.
authors.forename: Leidy Diana
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Piedrahita
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: Jorge E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Osorio