A dot enzyme immunoassay for dengue 3 virus: comparison with the haemagglutination inhibition test.

A dot enzyme immunoassay (DEIA) was used to determine the levels of antibody to dengue 3 virus in the acute and convalescent sera of febrile patients with a clinical diagnosis of dengue fever or dengue haemorrhagic fever. The antibody titres were compared with titres determined by the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. The results of the study showed that, besides being more simple to perform, the DEIA is in order of magnitude more sensitive than the HI test. Furthermore, the data suggest that it is possible to use a single dilution as a cutoff point to predict with reasonable accuracy, if a patient has had a recent dengue infection. The DEIA test for antibodies to dengue virus is an appropriate technology highly suitable for rapid diagnosis and surveillance in developing countries.