Improved serotype-specific dengue virus detection in Trinidad and Tobago using a multiplex, real-time RT-PCR.

Dengue virus (DENV) transmission occurs throughout the Caribbean, though laboratory confirmation and epidemiologic surveillance are limited by the availability of serotype-specific molecular diagnostics. In this study, we show that a serotype-specific DENV multiplex, real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-PCR) detected DENV RNA in significantly more samples (82/182) than a reference hemi-nested RT-PCR (57/182; P=0.01).