COMPARISON OF ELISA AND NS1 ANTIGEN CARD TESTING RESULTS FOR CLINICALLY SUSPECTED DENGUE FEVER CASES IN A TERTIARY CARE FACILITY, BUNDI, RAJASTHAN

Abstract

The four different serotypes of the Flaviviridae family's positive stranded RNA (ribo nucleic acid) virus that causes dengue (Dengue Virus 1–4) are closely linked antigenically. Only temporary and partial protection against recurrent infection by the other three serotypes is provided by recovery from one kind of infection, but lifetime immunity against that serotype is granted. Sequential infection has been proposed as a risk factor for more severe illness, including DHF.(1,2,3,4) From 505,430 cases in 2000 to over 2.4 million in 2010 and 4.2 million in 2019, the number of dengue cases reported to WHO has more than eight times grown in the past 20 years.(5)

While the mortality rate for untreated instances of DHF/dengue shock syndrome (DSS) might reach 20%, the mortality rate for treated cases is only 1%. The virus can be found in serum, plasma, circulating blood cells, and other organs for four to five days after the sickness starts. For this reason, many labs are now using the Non-Structural 1 Dengue Antigen (NS1 Ag) detection test, and the results are encouraging.The development of dengue vaccines has been underway for several decades, but has been impeded by the disease's complicated pathophysiology, the requirement to control four virus serotypes at once, and vaccine scientists' lack of funding. To prevent the ADE (Antibody dependent enhancement) phenomena, the vaccination should offer protective protection to all four serotypes. (6)Before these vaccinations may be used widely and safely on the susceptible populations, many obstacles (including practical, logistical, and scientific) must be overcome when they are produced. (7)