PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases (Apr 2015)

Sensitivity and specificity of a novel classifier for the early diagnosis of dengue.

  • Nguyen Minh Tuan,
  • Ho Thi Nhan,
  • Nguyen Van Vinh Chau,
  • Nguyen Thanh Hung,
  • Ha Manh Tuan,
  • Ta Van Tram,
  • Nguyen Le Da Ha,
  • Phan Loi,
  • Han Khoi Quang,
  • Duong Thi Hue Kien,
  • Sonya Hubbard,
  • Tran Nguyen Bich Chau,
  • Bridget Wills,
  • Marcel Wolbers,
  • Cameron P Simmons

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003638
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 4
p. e0003638

Abstract

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BackgroundDengue is the commonest arboviral disease of humans. An early and accurate diagnosis of dengue can support clinical management, surveillance and disease control and is central to achieving the World Health Organisation target of a 50% reduction in dengue case mortality by 2020.Methods5729 children with fever of ResultsThe EDC had a sensitivity of 74.8% (95%CI: 73.0-76.8%) and specificity of 76.3% (95%CI: 75.2-77.6%) for the diagnosis of dengue. As an adjunctive test alongside NS1 rapid testing, sensitivity of the composite test was 91.6% (95%CI: 90.4-92.9%).ConclusionsWe demonstrate that the early diagnosis of dengue can be enhanced beyond the current standard of care using a simple evidence-based algorithm. The results should support patient management and clinical trials of specific therapies.