Assessment
› Laboratory Tests That May Be Ordered
• Isolation and culture of the dengue virus provide a definitive diagnosis of dengue viral infection
• Serologic tests—including the hemagglutination-inhibition test, complement fixation test, neutralization test, and
enzyme-linkedimmunosorbent assay (ELISA)—will identify the presence of antibodies to the dengue virus; a 4-fold or
greater increase in antibody titer in paired sera is diagnostic for dengue infection
• Hematological testing may show low platelet counts (≤ 100,000 cells/mm3) and elevated Hct levels (≥ 20%), as well as
leukopenia and elevated liver enzymes
• PT and aPTT, is prolonged, fibrinogen level is decreased and fibrinogen degradation product (FDP) level is elevated in
patients with severe hemorrhagic manifestations
• Detection of dengue-virus RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerasechain reaction (RT-PCR) test or nucleic acid
hybridization test demonstrates active infection
› Other Diagnostic Tests/Studies
• Chest X-ray may show signs of pleural effusion or bronchopneumonia
• Ultrasonography of the abdomen may show peritoneal fluid accumulation