A Seroprevalence Study of Dengue Virus Infection among Clinically Suspected Pediatric Patients in Chennai, Tamilnadu

Dengue is a fast emerging pandemic-prone viral disease in many parts of the world. The objective of the study was to report the seroprevalence of dengue virus infection among clinically suspected pediatric patients reporting to children’s hospital from August 2011 to October 2011 in Chennai, Tamilnadu, India. This retrospective study was analyzed from 100 dengue patients reporting to hospital. Of these, 94 serum samples were subjected to IgM ELISA and confirmed by RT-PCR and also to find out the prevailing serotype. Positive cases were seen as a definite dengue infection, while those that were only IgM positive were considered as ‘Possible’ dengue. Of the 94 suspected serum samples 37 (39.4%) were positive for IgM ELISA. An aliquot of all the suspected samples 12 (12%) which were positive and all the confirmed dengue virus were subjected for serotype confirmation which is highly significant (P