Evaluating the use of fluorescence-based flow cytometry assay for dengue diagnosis using peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Introduction: Dengue virus (DENV) is the most important arthropod-borne viral disease worldwide with an estimated 50 million infections occurring each year. Methods: In this study, we present a flow cytometry assay (FACS) for diagnosing DENV, and compare its results with those of the non-structural protein 1 (NS1) immunochromatographic assay and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: All three assays identified 29.1% (39/134) of the patients as denguepositive. The FACS approach and real-time RT-PCR detected the DENV in 39 and 44 samples, respectively. On the other hand, the immunochromatographic assay detected the NS1 protein in 40.1% (56/134) of the patients. The Cohen's kappa coefficient analysis revealed a substantial agreement among the three methods. Conclusions: The FACS approach may be a useful alternative for dengue diagnosis and can be implemented in public and private laboratories.