Original Research article: Study of Evaluation of a Novel Commercial Rapid Test for Early Detection of Acute Dengue Infection

Introduction: The emerging pattern and the increasing trend in the incidence of dengue infection are of great concern as there is no specific treatment of dengue, and most forms of therapy are supportive in nature. We conducted a study to evaluate a newly available commercial rapid immunochromatographic test for the early diagnosis of dengue infection. This test is designed to simultaneously detect dengue NS1 antigen and IgM antibody. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology of our institute and included 300 clinically suspected dengue cases. Screening for dengue infection was performed using a rapid immunochromatographic test (ICT) designed to detect both dengue NS1 antigen and IgM antibody (Advantage Dengue NS1 Ag and Ab Combi Card). In addition, all samples were tested for dengue-specific IgM antibodies using ELISA. Results: Of the 300 clinically suspected dengue cases, 88 samples were found to be positive by rapid immunochromatographic testing. Among these positive cases, 67 showed NS1 antigen positivity, whereas 21 were positive for IgM antibodies. All samples were subsequently analyzed using IgM ELISA. Conclusion: We would like to conclude that usefulness of NS1 antigen–based diagnostic methods for the early diagnosis of acute dengue virus infection. Rapid immunochromatographic tests enable prompt detection of both dengue NS1 antigen and IgM antibodies. Detection of NS1 antigen during the symptomatic phase of illness represents a significant advancement in the early diagnosis of dengue fever. The Dengue NS1 antigen strip, as a rapid diagnostic test for early dengue virus infection, demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity and is therefore suitable as a first-line diagnostic tool, particularly in field settings.