Abstract:
Background : Diagnosis of dengue infection by ELISA and RT-PCR using non-blood samples were performed with high specificity but low sensitivity during convalescence stage. No previous study using urine saliva and buccal mucosal cells as the clinical specimens for dengue RT-PCR in order to diagnose dengue infection earlier during febrile stage Objective : To determine the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of RT-PCR using urine saliva and buccal mucosal cells for early diagnosis of dengue infection during febrile stage Study and Methods : Urine Saliva and buccal mucosal cells were collected from patients whom were suspected of dengue infection for early diagnosis of dengue infection by RT-PCR comparing with standard dengue diagnosis by ELISA method using serum samples. Results : The sensitivity to early diagnosis of dengue infection during febrile stage using urine saliva and buccal mucosal cells were 36%, 36% and 32%, respectively. The specificity of each type of urine and oral specimens were 100%. Using both types of specimens, especially urine and saliva increased the sensitivity to 72% and gave the same specificity. Conclusions : RT-PCR using urine saliva and buccal mucosal cells can be utilized for early diagnosis of dengue infection, particularly when using both types of urine and saliva specimens