EVALUATION OF AN IGM IMMUNOBLOT KIT FOR DENGUE DIAGNOSIS

A commercial IgM immunoblot kit was evaluated for dengue diagnosis wit h a panel of serum specimens collected from patients in a dengue endem ic area. The kit is not recommended for use in its present form becaus e of its undesirable rate of false-positive results. However, by subst ituting internal controls with the reference positive and negative con trols that are more representative of those seen in endemic areas and by modifying the positive and negative scoring criteria, sensitivity a nd specificity of 80.3% and 94.5%, respectively, were obtained. These results are comparable with those obtained with the IgM ELISA on speci mens, most of which were obtained from outpatient health care faciliti es. With further technical modifications, inclusion of a visual guide to ensure scoring standardization, and a more complete elaboration of the limitations of the test, wide application of the kit in diagnostic laboratories should be possible.