Abstract

Introduction: Dengue is an arboviral infection transmitted through the bite of Aedes mosquitoes having four distinct serotypes DENV 1-4. Secondary infections often lead to increased disease severity. The study was carried out with an aim to analyze dominant serotype in circulation and to find an association between serotype and hematological parameters.
Material & Methods: A total of 163 Dengue Positive samples were subjected to serotype-specific Real-time Polymerase chain reaction to identify the serotype. Hematological parameters viz; WBC counts, Hematocrit value, platelets, lymphocyte % were also studied concurrently for these patients.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 27.2 years with male preponderance.NS1 antigen positive (74.8%), IgM (38%) and both NS1 & IgM positives (12.8%) were detected. The predominant serotype identified was DENV-2(48.4%), DENV-4(43.5%), and DENV-3 (7.9%). Statistically significant difference in platelet counts was observed in DENV-2 & DENV-4.White blood cell counts showed statistically significant differences within DENV-2 and DENV-3 serotypes.
Conclusion: Cocirculation of multiple serotypes of DENV was observed in our study. The application of molecular testing will increase DENV diagnostics, especially in secondary infections which carry more chances of adverse outcomes. We recommend the inclusion of serotype testing in the Dengue diagnostic algorithm to be able to reduce morbidity and mortality.