DENGUE HEMORRHAGIC-FEVER IN JAKARTA, INDONESIA IN 1988 - ISOLATION DENGUE VIRUS FROM PATIENT WHOLE-BLOOD USING CELL-CULTURES

During an outbreak of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in Jakarta, Indon esia in 1988, we attempted to isolate dengue virus using mosquito cell s and a medium containing heparin. Whole blood, immediately after bein g drawn from patients, was inoculated into Aedes albopictus cell cultu res temporarily maintained in the heparin-containing medium. The overa ll virus isolation rate was 25% (17 of 69) samples collected within th ree days after admission of the patients to hospital. No virus was obt ained thereafter. The successful virus isolation was apparently not re lated to titers of anti-dengue virus hemagglutination-inhibiting antib odies present in patients' sera. The viruses were recovered from cases of each of the four World Health Organization grades of DHF without s ignificant differences. The technique is simple and easily performed a t bedside.