This report presents the results of applying the reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) to the analysis of clinical specimens during the 1998 dengue epidemic in Nicaragua. The RT-PCR was validated through comparison with viral isolation, resulting in a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 90%. In-country application of the RT-PCR permitted the rapid identification of dengue-3 virus as the cause of the epidemic at the beginning of 1998 and the detection of the reintroduction of dengue-2 virus in the middle of the year. Nineteen isolates of dengue-3 and one of dengue-2 were characterized using the restriction site-specific (RSS)-PCR technique. This showed that the dengue-3 strain belonged to the 'Sri Lanka' subtype and that the dengue-2 strain belonged to the 'Jamaica' 'subtype, both which have been associated with hemorrhagic dengue in the Americas. The application of these simple PCR-based strain typing methods in a country endemic for dengue virus infections can help to characterize the transmission dynamics of this important emerging infectious disease problem and provide this information to local health authorities in a timely manner so that appropriate control measures can be implemented.
CITATION STYLE
Balmaseda, A., Sandoval, E., Pérez, L., Gutiérrez, C. M., & Harris, E. (1999). Application of molecular typing techniques in the 1998 dengue epidemic in Nicaragua. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 61(6), 893–897. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.1999.61.893
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