Recovery of dengue-2 and dengue-3 viruses from man in Jamaica

Dengue-like illness has been reported in Jamaica since 1824, although the viruses concerned were never isolated. The emphasis of this work was isolating and typing the etiologic agents involved; 679 cases were reported to the Microbiology Department, University of the West Indies, during 1968 and 1969. Primary serum samples were tested; 112 of 175 indicated recent arbovirus group B infections. Primary infections and reinfections with dengue viruses were indicated by hemagglutination-inhibition and complement-fixation tests. Challenge-virus resistance technique was used to isolate eight agents from human serum. Six of these strains have been typed as dengue-3 and two as dengue-2 viruses.(AU)