Culture-amplified detection of dengue virus from serum in an outbreak of dengue fever

An outbreak of dengue type 2 occurred in North Queensland, Australia, betwe en December 1996 and April 1997. Culture of serum in the Aedes albopictus C 6/36 cell line with detection using immunofluorescent staining was compared with a culture-amplified detection system using an immunoperoxidase staini ng method in a microtiter plate format. A total of 374 serum specimens from individuals during the outbreak were tested. Ninety-five specimens were po sitive using immunofluorescence and ninety-two were positive using the immu noperoxidase method (sensitivity 91.6%; specificity 98.2%). The immunoperox idase method is quicker, easier to perform, and does not require the use of an immunofluorescent microscope. The method is more suited to the processi ng of large numbers of specimens in an outbreak and could be used in endemi c areas with limited virological resources. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.