A preliminary study of neopterin as a potential marker for severe dengue virus infection

ABSTRACT

Dengue virus cause the non-fatal dengue fever and the life-threating dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS). Early clinical features of DF and DHF/DSS are indistinguishable and it is difficult to identify early DHF/DSS using clinical and laboratory parameters. A prospective observational study (KALAYANAROOJ et al, 1997) of Thai children with fever for less than 72h revealed that, at enrolment, plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST)levels were significantly raised in children who developed DHF but were of relatively low positive predictive value (PPV=0.27 for AST>40U/mL). MONATH (1997), in his review of the paper by Kalayanaroo et al., noted the lack of 'clear clinical prognostic indicators for DHF' and called for strategies to improve diagnosis (AU)