Reverse Flow Immunochromatographic Rapid Assay Detects Antidengue Antibodies

A reverse flow immunochromatographic assay rapidly detects immunoglobin A (IgA) to the emerging and reemerging dengue fever (DF) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Diagnosis of an on-going or recent dengue infection during the acute or early convalescent stages of the disease is possible using the Assure Dengue IgA rapid test Singapore. This assay enables a qualitative detection of antidengue IgA antibody in human samples (serum, whole blood, and plasma). It increases the sensitivity of the Assure technique and makes the test useful at the acute phase of infection.

DF and DHF are spreading and becoming increasingly severe in South East Asia, the Western Pacific, and Latin American countries. Dengue disease is diagnosed by isolation of the virus, serology, molecular techniques, or by detection of high levels of antibodies characteristic of the viral infection.

MP Biomedicals (Santa Ana, CA, USA) introduced the MPD antidengue IgA rapid test for DF, one of the most rapidly spreading vector-borne diseases. The test was found to detect more dengue positive cases during the acute stage of infection than any other dengue diagnostic tool available in the market.

MPD Assure dengue lgA rapid test demonstrated a high level of detection of dengue- positive cases from suspected whole blood samples and more dengue secondary infections in comparison with plasma in reference nonstructural protein1 (NS1) antigen (Ag) enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture ELISA. The assay is a significantly better diagnostic test than the IgM/immunoglobulin G (IgG) rapid test because it is able to detect both primary and secondary infections competently.

An estimated 50-million dengue infections occur annually and approximately 2.5 billion people live in dengue endemic countries. The World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) is concerned that the infection is a serious public health threat in dengue endemic countries, and it has emphasized that the global climate change resulted in an increase in outbreaks with far-reaching cross-border and international implications.

Currently available dengue diagnostic tools can cover only either an antigen or antibody window period, which limits the detection of the majority of dengue cases to one point of sample collection. Diagnosis of ongoing or recent dengue infection during the acute or early convalescent stages of the disease should be possible using the Assure Dengue IgA rapid test Singapore.

The new assay was introduced at the American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) clinical lab expo held July 19-23, 2009, in Chicago (IL, USA).

Related Links:
MP Biomedicals
World Health Organization