Prevalence of infection with dengue virus among international travelers.

BACKGROUND Dengue has been recognized as a potential hazard to tourists. A prospective, controlled study in the outpatient clinic of a German infectious disease clinic was conducted to assess the prevalence of dengue virus infection among international travelers. METHODS Serum samples from 130 patients with signs or recent history clinically compatible with dengue (fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, or rash), 95 matched controls with diarrhea, and 26 patients who never visited a country endemic for dengue were investigated. RESULTS Nine (6.9%) of the 130 patients with compatible symptoms and 1 (1%) of the 95 controls with diarrhea developed rising antibody titers against dengue virus. Of these 10 patients with probable dengue infection, 6 had been to Thailand, 2 to Malaysia, and 1 each to Indonesia and Brazil. CONCLUSIONS Infection with dengue virus appears to be a realistic threat to travelers to Southeast Asia. Symptoms commonly associated with dengue, such as fever, myalgia, arthralgia, and vomiting, can be helpful for diagnosis when present, but the absence of typical symptoms does not exclude infection.

[1]  A. Lifson,et al.  Mosquitoes, models, and dengue , 1996, The Lancet.

[2]  P. Vernazza,et al.  [Imported dengue fever in Switzerland--serological evidence for a hitherto unexpectedly high prevalence]. , 1995, Swiss medical weekly.

[3]  D. Gubler,et al.  Dengue surveillance--United States, 1986-1992. , 1994, MMWR. CDC surveillance summaries : Morbidity and mortality weekly report. CDC surveillance summaries.

[4]  K. Gyr,et al.  [Imported dengue fever following a stay in the tropics]. , 1993, Schweizerische medizinische Wochenschrift.

[5]  Melissant Cf,et al.  Infection with Dengue virus. , 1992 .

[6]  D. Gubler,et al.  Dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. , 2014 .

[7]  W. Lange,et al.  Dengue fever: a resurgent risk for the international traveler. , 1992, American family physician.

[8]  B. Niklasson,et al.  Dengue fever among Swedish tourists. , 1993, Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases.

[9]  J. Poveda,et al.  [Imported dengue in france (1989-1993). Conditions to be met for assuring an accurate etiological diagnosis]. , 1993, Bulletin de la Société de Pathologie Exotique.

[10]  G. Kuno,et al.  Mosquito cell cultures and specific monoclonal antibodies in surveillance for dengue viruses. , 1984, The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene.