Comparison of NS1 Antigen Detection by Rapid Immunochromatography Test and ELISA for Early Diagnosis of Dengue at a Government General Hospital, Ananthapuramu

Background: The incidence of Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Dengue shock syndrome associated with Dengue can be reduced by diagnosing Dengue early and by initiating early treatment to Dengue patients. This study was conducted to compare results of NS1 antigen rapid test and ELISA in clinically suspected dengue patients.

Materials and Methods: Present study was a comparative study conducted on 100 Patients presented with clinical history of Dengue. At Microbiology Laboratory, serum of all samples was assessed for NS1 detection using antigen Rapid test and ELISA. Sensitivity & specificity values were calculated for NS1 antigen rapid test, compared with ELISA.

Results: Out of 100 serum samples collected from suspected cases of Dengue in and around Anantapuramu, 30 (30%) were positive for ELISA and 28 (28%) were positive for Rapid diagnostic test. Sensitivity & specificity when only NS1 was considered on rapid test kits when compared with ELISA were 93.33%, 98.57%,

Conclusion: It is concluded that ELISA test was superior in the diagnosis of Dengue and recommended on improvement in sensitivity of RDTs.