Increase in the sensitivity of dengue diagnosis by combination of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and passage on cell cultures.

We passaged 52 serum samples from dengue patients on C6/36 cells for 7 days and checked the culture fluids by RT-PCR. Two serum samples, which were negative by direct RT-PCR, became positive. One sample was collected on fever day 1 and the other on fever day 2. Results indicate that combination of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with passage of serum samples on C6/36 cells increases the sensitivity of dengue diagnosis.