Demonstration of concurrent dengue 1 and dengue 3 infection in six patients by the polymerase chain reaction

Abstract

Abstract A dual viremia resulting from naturally acquired dengue 1 and dengue 3 infections in six patients experiencing a dengue‐like syndrome during the epidemic in New Caledonia in 1989 is reported. Serotype identification was first based on virus isolation in mosquito cells and immunofluorescence using type‐specific monoclonal antibodies. The double infection was confirmed directly in blood samples by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on genomic RNA and hybridization of the amplified cDNA fragments with type‐specific DNA probes.