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Background: In recent years, researchers have had an increased focus on multiplex microarray assays, in which antibodies are measured against multiple related antigens, for use in seroepidemiological studies to infer past transmission., Methods: We assess the performance of a flavivirus microarray assay for determining past dengue virus (DENV) infection history in a dengue-endemic setting, Vietnam. We tested the microarray on samples from 1 and 6 months postinfection from DENV-infected patients (infecting serotype was determined using reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction during acute, past primary, and secondary infection assessed using plaque reduction neutralization tests 6 months postinfection)., Results: Binomial models developed to discriminate past primary from secondary infection using the protein microarray (PMA) titers had high area under the curve (0.90-0.97) and accuracy (0.84-0.86). Multinomial models developed to identify most recent past infecting serotype using PMA titers performed well in those with past primary infection (average test set: κ = 0.85, accuracy of 0.92) but not those with past secondary infection (κ = 0.24, accuracy of 0.45)., Conclusions: Our results suggest that the microarray will be useful in seroepidemiological studies aimed at classifying the past infection history of individuals (past primary vs secondary and serotype of past primary infections) and thus inferring past transmission intensity of DENV in dengue-endemic settings. Future work to validate these models should be undertaken in different transmission settings and with samples later after infection., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: One of the generally accepted constructs of dengue pathogenesis is that clinical disease severity is at least partially dependent upon plasma viremia, yet data on plasma viremia in primary versus secondary infections and in relation to clinically relevant endpoints remain limited and contradictory., Methods: Using a large database comprising detailed clinical and laboratory characterization of Vietnamese participants enrolled in a series of research studies executed over a 15-year period, we explored relationships between plasma viremia measured by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and 3 clinically relevant endpoints-severe dengue, plasma leakage, and hospitalization-in the dengue-confirmed cases. All 4 dengue serotypes and both primary and secondary infections were well represented. In our logistic regression models we allowed for a nonlinear effect of viremia and for associations between viremia and outcome to differ by age, serotype, host immune status, and illness day at study enrollment., Results: Among 5642 dengue-confirmed cases we identified 259 (4.6%) severe dengue cases, 701 (12.4%) patients with plasma leakage, and 1441 of 4008 (40.0%) patients recruited in outpatient settings who were subsequently hospitalized. From the early febrile phase onwards, higher viremia increased the risk of developing all 3 endpoints, but effect sizes were modest (ORs ranging from 1.12-1.27 per 1-log increase) compared with the effects of a secondary immune response (ORs, 1.67-7.76). The associations were consistent across age, serotype, and immune status groups, and in the various sensitivity and subgroup analyses we undertook., Conclusions: Higher plasma viremia is associated with increased dengue severity, regardless of serotype or immune status., (© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America.)

Background: Dengue viruses (DENV) can be transmitted from an adult female Aedes aegypti mosquito through the germ line to the progeny; however, there is uncertainty if this occurs at a frequency that is epidemiologically significant. We measured vertical transmission of DENV from field-reared Ae. aegypti to their F1 progeny after feeding upon blood from dengue patients. We also examined the transmission potential of F1 females., Methods: We examined the frequency of vertical transmission in field-reared mosquitoes, who fed upon blood from acutely viremic dengue patients, and the capacity for vertically infected females to subsequently transmit virus horizontally, in two sets of experiments: (i) compared vertical transmission frequency of field-reared Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, in individual progeny; and (ii) in pooled progeny derived from field- and laboratory-reared Ae. aegypti., Results: Of 41 DENV-infected and isofemaled females who laid eggs, only a single female (2.43%) transmitted virus to one of the F1 progeny, but this F1 female did not have detectable virus in the saliva when 14 days-old. We complemented this initial study by testing for vertical transmission in another 460 field-reared females and > 900 laboratory-reared counterparts but failed to provide any further evidence of vertical virus transmission., Conclusions: In summary, these results using field-reared mosquitoes and viremic blood from dengue cases suggest that vertical transmission is uncommon. Field-based studies that build on these observations are needed to better define the contribution of vertical DENV transmission to dengue epidemiology.

Background: After new analysis, Sanofi Pasteur now recommends their dengue vaccine (Dengvaxia) should only be given to individuals previously infected with dengue and the World Health Organization's recommendations regarding its use are currently being revised. As a result, the potential costs of performing large-scale individual dengue screening and/or dengue serosurveys have become an important consideration for decision making by policymakers in dengue-endemic areas., Methods: We used an ingredients-based approach to estimate the financial costs for conducting both a school-based dengue serosurvey and school-based individual dengue screening within a typical province in Vietnam, using an existing commercial indirect immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. This costing is hypothetical and based on estimates regarding the resources that would be required to perform such activities., Results: We estimated that performing a school-based individual screening of 9-year-olds would cost US$9.25 per child tested or US$197,827 in total for a typical province. We also estimated that a school-based serosurvey would cost US$10,074, assuming one class from each of the grades that include 8- to 11-year-olds are sampled at each of the 12 selected schools across the province., Conclusions: The study indicates that using this vaccine safely on a large-scale will incur noteworthy operational costs. It is crucial that these be considered in future cost-effectiveness analyses informing how and where the vaccine is deployed.

Dengue is mosquito-borne virus infection that annually causes ~50 million clinically apparent cases worldwide. An internally controlled one-step real-time multiplex RT-PCR assay was developed for detection and quantitation of DENV RNA in plasma sample by using specific primers and fluorogenic TaqMan probes. All primers and probes targeted sequences near the 3' end of the NS5 gene. The method comprised two multiplex assays and was validated for sensitivity, specificity, linearity, reproducibility and precision. An internal control template was spiked into each clinical specimen to provide quality assurance for each experimental step. The assay allowed for detection of between 0.5 and 3 infectious particles per mL, is rapid and has been operationally characterized in 287 Vietnamese dengue patients from two therapeutic intervention trials at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

We describe the magnitude and kinetics of plasma viremia and nonstructural protein 1 (sNS1) levels in sequential samples from 167 children with acute dengue, enrolled early in a community study in Vietnam. All children recovered fully, and only 5 required hospitalization. Among those with dengue virus type 1 (DENV-1), plasma viremia was significantly greater in primary (49) than secondary (44) infections and took longer to resolve. In primary DENV-2 and 3 infections, viremia was significantly lower than among primary DENV-1 infections. Concentrations of sNS1 were significantly higher for DENV-1 than for DENV-2 after adjusting for viremia, with marked differences in the kinetic profiles between primary and secondary infections. Secondary infection and higher viremia were independent predictors of more severe thrombocytopenia, and higher viremia was associated with a small increase in hemoconcentration. Our findings identify clear serotype and immune-status related effects on the dynamics of dengue viremia and sNS1 responses, together with associations with important clinical parameters.

Background: he mechanism underlying the transient vascular leak syndrome of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is unknown. We aimed to determine whether molecular size and charge selectivity, which help restrict plasma proteins within the intravascular space, are altered in patients with DHF and whether a disturbance of the anionic glycosaminoglycan (GAG) layer on the luminal endothelial surface contributes to disease pathogenesis., Methods: We measured serial plasma levels and fractional clearances of proteins with different size and charge characteristics in 48 children with dengue shock syndrome (DSS) and urinary excretion profiles of heparan sulfate, chondroitin-4-sulfate, and chondroitin-6-sulfate in affected children and healthy control subjects., Results: Compared with convalescent values, acute plasma concentrations of all proteins were reduced, with increased fractional clearances. Smaller proteins were more affected than larger molecules. Albumin, which is normally protected from leakage by its strong negative charge, demonstrated a clearance pattern similar to that of transferrin, a neutral molecule of similar size. Urinary heparan sulfate excretion was significantly increased in children with DSS., Conclusions: The endothelial size-dependent sieving mechanism for plasma proteins is at least partially retained, whereas selective restriction based on negative charge is impaired. The increased heparan sulfate excretion suggests a role for GAGs in the pathogenesis of the vascular leak.