Dengue Fever as an Emerging Infection in Southeast Iran

• Published in: The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene Vol. 98; no. 5; pp. 1469 - 1471
• Main Authors: Heydari, Mostafa, Metanat, Maliheh, Rouzbeh-Far, Mohammad-Ali, Tabatabaei, Seyed Mehdi, Rakhshani, Mohammad, Sepehri-Rad, Nahid, Keshtkar-Jahromi, Maryam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Institute of Tropical Medicine 01.01.2018; The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
• Subjects: Dengue fever; Immunoglobulins; Proteins; Iran
• ISSN: 0002-9637; 1476-1645
• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.17-0634

Dengue fever (DF) is a mosquito-borne acute viral disease presenting with hemorrhagic manifestations in severe cases. Southeast Iran is in close proximity to Pakistan, an endemic country for DF. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Sistan and Baluchestan province in the southeast of Iran to investigate possibility of DF (immunoglobulin M [IgM], immunoglobulin G [IgG], and nonstructural protein 1 [NS1] antigen tests) in 60 clinically suspected patients (April 2013 to August 2015). NS1 protein was detected in 5% ( = 3), at least one of the antibodies (IgM and/ or IgG) was detected in 11% ( = 7) of the samples. Five patients identified as of acutely infected. There was a simultaneous presence of NS1 protein and IgG or IgM antibodies in 4% ( = 2) of patients. Previous studies show establishment of potential vectors in this area. These evidences support the hypothesis that DF can be a health concern in Southeast Iran with potential future outbreaks.