Suppression of annexin A1 and its receptor reduces herpes simplex virus 1 lethality in mice.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1)-induced encephalitis is the most common cause of sporadic, fatal encephalitis in humans. HSV-1 has at least 10 different envelope glycoproteins, which can promote virus infection. The ligands for most of the envelope glycoproteins and the significance of these ligands in virus-induced encephalitis remain elusive. Here, we show that glycoprotein E (gE) binds to the cellular protein, annexin A1 (Anx-A1) to enhance infection. Anx-A1 can be detected on the surface of cells permissive for HSV-1 before infection and on virions. Suppression of Anx-A1 or its receptor, formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2), on the cell surface and gE or Anx-A1 on HSV-1 envelopes reduced virus binding to cells. Importantly, Anx-A1 knockout, Anx-A1 knockdown, or treatments with the FPR2 antagonist reduced the mortality and tissue viral loads of infected mice. Our results show that Anx-A1 is a novel enhancing factor of HSV-1 infection. Anx-A1-deficient mice displayed no evident physiology and behavior changes. Hence, targeting Anx-A1 and FPR2 could be a promising prophylaxis or adjuvant therapy to decrease HSV-1 lethality.

Mobilization of Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells during Dengue Virus Infection.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) mobilization is the movement of HSPCs from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood or tissue induced by stress. HSPC mobilization is a well-known response to protect the host during infection through urgent differentiation of HSPCs to immune cells. Dengue virus (DENV) infection is known to cause stress in infected humans and the mobilizing capacity of HSPCs during DENV infection in affected patients has not been fully investigated. Here, we investigated whether DENV infection can induce HSPC mobilization and if the mobilized HSPCs are permissive to DENV infection. White blood cells (WBCs) were collected from dengue patients (DENV+) and healthy donors and analyzed by flow cytometry and plaque assay. Elevated HSPCs levels were found in the WBCs of the DENV+ group when compared to the healthy group. Mobilization of HSPCs and homing markers (skin and gut) expression decreased as the patients proceeded from dengue without symptoms (DWoWS) to severe dengue (SD). Mobilizing HSPCs were not only permissive to DENV infection, but infectious DENV could be recovered after coculture. Our results highlight the need for further investigation into HSPC mobilization or alterations of hematopoiesis during viral infections such as DENV in order to develop appropriate countermeasures.

Dengue virus nonstructural protein 1 activates platelets via Toll-like receptor 4, leading to thrombocytopenia and hemorrhage.

Dengue virus (DENV) infection, the most common mosquito-transmitted viral infection, can cause a range of diseases from self-limiting dengue fever to life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever and shock syndrome. Thrombocytopenia is a major characteristic observed in both mild and severe dengue disease and is significantly correlated with the progression of dengue severity. Previous studies have shown that DENV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1), which can be secreted into patients' blood, can stimulate immune cells via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and can cause endothelial leakage. However, it is unclear whether DENV NS1 can directly induce platelet activation or cause thrombocytopenia during DENV infection. In this study, we first demonstrated that DENV but not Zika virus cell culture supernatant could induce P-selectin expression and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure in human platelets, both of which were abolished when NS1 was depleted from the DENV supernatant. Similar results were found using recombinant NS1 from all four serotypes of DENV, and those effects were blocked in the presence of anti-NS1 F(ab')2, anti-TLR4 antibody, a TLR4 antagonist (Rhodobacter sphaeroides lipopolysaccharide, LPS-Rs) and a TLR4 signaling inhibitor (TAK242), but not polymyxin B (an LPS inhibitor). Moreover, the activation of platelets by DENV NS1 promoted subthreshold concentrations of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation and enhanced platelet adhesion to endothelial cells and phagocytosis by macrophages. Finally, we demonstrated that DENV-induced thrombocytopenia and hemorrhage were attenuated in TLR4 knockout and wild-type mice when NS1 was depleted from DENV supernatant. Taken together, these results suggest that the binding of DENV NS1 to TLR4 on platelets can trigger its activation, which may contribute to thrombocytopenia and hemorrhage during dengue infection.

Cytokine Signature of Dengue Patients at Different Severity of the Disease.

Clinical presentations of dengue fever (DF) are diverse and non-specific, causing unpredictable progression and outcomes. Its progression and severity have been associated with cytokine levels alteration. In this study, dengue patients were classified into groups following the 2009 WHO dengue classification scheme to investigate the cytokine signature at different severity of the disease: dengue without warning sign symptoms (A); dengue with warning signs (B); severe dengue (C); other fever (OF) and healthy (Healthy). We analyzed 23 different cytokines simultaneously, namely IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17A, IL-33, CD14, CD54, CD62E, CD62L, CD62p, CD106, CD121b, CD154, CD178, GM-CSF, IFN-g, MIF, ST2 and TNF from patients admitted to National Cheng Kung University Hospital during the 2015 Taiwan dengue outbreak. Cytokines TNF, CD54, CD62E, CD62L, CD62P, GM-CSF, IL-1b, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17A, INF-g and MIF were elevated while CD106, CD154, IL-4 and L-33 were decreased when compared to the control. IL-10 demonstrated to be a potential diagnostic marker for DF (H and A group; AUC = 0.944, H and OF group; AUC = 0.969). CD121b demonstrated to be predictive of the SD (A and B group; AUC = 0.744, B and C group; AUC = 0.775). Our results demonstrate the cytokine profile changes during the progression of dengue and highlight possible biomarkers for optimizing effective intervention strategies.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor is critical for dengue NS1-induced endothelial glycocalyx degradation and hyperpermeability.

Vascular leakage is one of the salient characteristics of severe dengue. Nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of dengue virus (DENV) can stimulate endothelial cells to secrete endothelial hyperpermeability factor, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and the glycocalyx degradation factor heparanase 1 (HPA-1). However, it is unclear whether MIF is directly involved in NS1-induced glycocalyx degradation. In this study, we observed that among NS1, MIF and glycocalyx degradation-related molecules, the HPA-1, metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) and syndecan 1 (CD138) serum levels were all increased in dengue patients, and only NS1 and MIF showed a positive correlation with the CD138 level in severe patients. To further characterize and clarify the relationship between MIF and CD138, we used recombinant NS1 to stimulate human cells in vitro and challenge mice in vivo. Our tabulated results suggested that NS1 stimulation could induce human endothelial cells to secrete HPA-1 and immune cells to secrete MMP-9, resulting in endothelial glycocalyx degradation and hyperpermeability. Moreover, HPA-1, MMP-9, and CD138 secretion after NS1 stimulation was blocked by MIF inhibitors or antibodies both in vitro and in mice. Taken together, these results suggest that MIF directly engages in dengue NS1-induced glycocalyx degradation and that targeting MIF may represent a possible therapeutic approach for preventing dengue-induced vascular leakage.

A Label-Free Impedimetric Genosensor for the Nucleic Acid Amplification-Free Detection of Extracted RNA of Dengue Virus.

Developing rapid and sensitive diagnostic methods for dengue virus (DENV) infection is of prime priority because DENV infection is the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease. This work proposes an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS)-based genosensor for the label-free and nucleic acid amplification-free detection of extracted DENV RNA intended for a sensitive diagnosis of DENV infection. A concentration ratio of 0.04 mM 6-mercaptohexanoic acid (MHA) to 1 mM 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (MCH) was selected to modify thin-film gold electrodes as a link to control the coverage of self-designed probe DNA (pDNA) at a density of 4.5 ± 0.4 × 1011 pDNA/cm2. The pDNA/MHA/MCH-modified genosensors are proven to improve the hybridization efficiency of a synthetic 160-mer target DNA (160mtDNA) with a 140-mer electrode side overhang as compared to other MHA/MCH ratio-modified genosensors. The MHA(0.04 mM)/MCH(1 mM)-modified genosensors also present good hybridization efficiency with the extracted DENV serotype 1 (DENV1) RNA samples, having the same electrode side overhangs with the 160mtDNA, showing a low detection limit of 20 plaque forming units (PFU)/mL, a linear range of 102-105 PFU/mL and good selectivity for DENV1. The pDNA density-controlled method has great promise to construct sensitive genosensors based on the hybridization of extracted DENV nucleic acids.

Seroprevalence of Zika and Dengue Virus Antibodies among Migrant Workers, Taiwan, 2017.

A serosurvey of 600 workers newly arrived in Taiwan from 4 Southeast Asia countries showed that 18 (3%) were positive for Zika virus IgM; 6 (1%) fulfilled the World Health Organization criteria for laboratory-confirmed recent Zika virus infection. The incidence of Zika virus infection in Southeast Asia might be underestimated.

Identification and characterization of permissive cells to dengue virus infection in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

BACKGROUND: Dengue virus (DENV) is a significant threat to public health in tropical and subtropical regions, where the frequency of human migration is increasing. Transmission of DENV from donors to recipients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been steadily described. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Freshly isolated bone marrow (BM) was subjected to DENV infection, followed by multicolor fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis. Virus in supernatants was collected and analyzed by plaque assay. RESULTS: DENV-1 to DENV-4 could effectively infect freshly obtained BM and produced infectious virus. DENV infection did not change the quantitative population of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), megakaryocytic progenitor cells (MkPs) and megakaryocytes. Additionally, DENV antigen, nonstructural protein 1, was enriched in HSPCs and MkPs of DENV infected marrow cells. CD34+, CD133+, or CD61+ cells sorted out from BM were not only the major contributing targets facilitating the DENV infection directly but also facilitated the spread of DENV into other cells when cocultured. CONCLUSION: Results suggest that DENV can efficiently infect HSPCs, which might jeopardize the recipients if DENV-infected cells were subsequently used. We therefore raise the need for DENV screening for both the donors and recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, especially for donors exposed to endemic areas, to mitigate DENV infection in immunocompromised recipients.

Low seroprevalence of Zika virus infection among adults in Southern Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: We recently conducted a serosurvey of newly arrived workers in Taiwan from four Southeast Asian countries which revealed that 1% of the migrant workers had laboratory-confirmed recent Zika virus (ZIKV) infection. Taiwan, where Aedes mosquitoes are prevalent, has a close relationship with Southeast Asian countries. Up to now, 21 imported cases of ZIKV infection have been reported in Taiwan, but there has been no confirmed indigenous case. The aim of this serosurvey was to assess whether there was unrecognized ZIKV infections in Taiwan. METHODS: A total of 212 serum samples collected in a cross-sectional seroepidemiologic study conducted during the end of the 2015 dengue epidemic in Tainan, Taiwan, were analyzed. Anti-ZIKV IgM and IgG were tested using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). Plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) for ZIKV and four dengue virus (DENV) serotypes were performed for samples with positive anti-ZIKV antibodies. A confirmed case of ZIKV infection was defined by ZIKV PRNT90 titer ratio ≥ 4 compared to four DENV serotypes. RESULTS: The mean age of the 212 participants was 54.0 years (standard deviation 13.7 years), and female was predominant (67.0%). Anti-ZIKV IgM and IgG were detected in 0 (0%) and 9 (4.2%) of the 212 participants, respectively. For the 9 samples with anti-ZIKV IgG, only 1 sample had 4 times higher ZIKV PRNT90 titers compared to PRNT90 titers against four dengue virus serotypes; this individual denied having traveled abroad. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that undetected indigenous ZIKV transmission might have occurred in Taiwan. The findings also suggest that the threat of epidemic transmission of ZIKV in Taiwan does exist due to extremely low-level of herd immunity. Our study also indicates that serological tests for ZIKV-specific IgG remain a big challenge due to cross-reactivity, even in dengue non-endemic countries.

Seroepidemiology of dengue virus infection among adults during the ending phase of a severe dengue epidemic in southern Taiwan, 2015.

BACKGROUND: A severe dengue epidemic occurred in 2015 which resulted in over 22,000 laboratory-confirmed cases. A cross-sectional seroprevalence study was conducted during the ending phase of this epidemic to evaluate the true incidence of dengue virus (DENV) infection and the level of herd immunity. METHODS: Adult residents in three administrative districts with high dengue incidence were recruited; workers in two districts with intermediate dengue incidence were also recruited for comparison. DENV-specific IgM and IgG were tested using commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. DENV RNA was detected using commercial quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify risk factors for recent and past DENV infection. RESULTS: The overall seroprevalence of anti-DENV IgM and IgG in 1391 participants was 6.8 and 17.4%, respectively. The risk of recent DENV infection increased with age, with the elderly having the highest risk of infection. Living in areas with high incidence of reported dengue cases and having family members being diagnosed with dengue in 2015 were also independent risk factors for recent DENV infection. One sample was found to have asymptomatic viremia with viral load as high as 105 PFU/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing the seroprevalence of anti-DENV IgM with the incidence of reported dengue cases in 2015, we estimated that 1 out of 3.7 dengue infections were reported to the surveillance system; widespread use of rapid diagnostic tests might contribute to this high reporting rate. The results also indicate that the overall herd immunity remains low and the current approved Dengvaxia® is not quite suitable for vaccination in Taiwan.

Human glucose-regulated protein 78 modulates intracellular production and secretion of nonstructural protein 1 of dengue virus.

Virus-host interactions play important roles in virus infection and host cellular response. Several viruses, including dengue virus (DENV), usurp host chaperones to support their amplification and survival in the host cell. We investigated the interaction of nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of DENV with three endoplasmic reticulum-resident chaperones (i.e. GRP78, calnexin and calreticulin) to delineate their functional roles and potential binding sites for protein complex formation. GRP78 protein showed prominent association with DENV NS1 in virus-infected Huh7 cells as evidenced by co-localization and co-immunoprecipitation assays. Further studies on the functional interaction of GRP78 protein were performed by using siRNA-mediated gene knockdown in a DENV replicon transfection system. GRP78 knockdown significantly decreased intracellular NS1 production and delayed NS1 secretion but had no effect on viral RNA replication. Dissecting the important domain of GRP78 required for DENV NS1 interaction showed co-immunoprecipitation of DENV NS1 with a full-length and substrate-binding domain (SBD), but not an ATPase domain, of GRP78, confirming their interaction through SBD binding. Molecular dynamics simulations of DENV NS1 and human GRP78 complex revealed their potential binding sites through hydrogen and hydrophobic bonding. The majority of GRP78-binding sites were located in a ß-roll domain and connector subdomains on the DENV NS1 structure involved in hydrophobic surface formation. Taken together, our findings demonstrated the roles of human GRP78 in facilitating the intracellular production and secretion of DENV NS1 as well as predicted potential binding sites between the DENV NS1 and GRP78 complex, which could have implications in the future development of target-based antiviral drugs.

Prolonged persistence of IgM against dengue virus detected by commonly used commercial assays.

BACKGROUND: Initial symptoms of dengue fever are non-specific, and thus definite diagnosis requires laboratory confirmation. Detection of IgM against dengue virus (DENV) has become widely used for dengue diagnosis. Understanding the persistence of anti-DENV IgM in subjects after acute infection is essential in order to interpret test results correctly. Although the longevity of anti-DENV IgM has been vehemently investigated in symptomatic children, anti-DENV IgM persistence in adults and in asymptomatically infected people have seldom been reported. METHODS: We prospectively investigated 44 adults with detectable anti-DENV IgM in a serosurvey conducted in the 2015 dengue epidemic in Tainan, Taiwan. Among subjects within the cohort, 17 were classified to be symptomatic and 27 were asymptomatic. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) from Standard Diagnostic (SD) and Focus Diagnostic were used to detect anti-DENV IgM for specimens collected initially, at 6 and 12 months. Regression analyses were used to estimate the duration of anti-DENV IgM fell below the detectable level. Rapid dengue tests from Standard Diagnostics had been widely adopted to detect anti-DENV IgM in Taiwan during the 2015 dengue outbreak. As such, collected specimens were also evaluated with the SD rapid dengue test in parallel. RESULTS: Anti-DENV IgM was detectable in 70.5 and 46.2% of the 44 subjects at 6 months and 12 months by the SD ELISA, respectively, while 13.6 and 7.7%, respectively, by the Focus ELISA. There was no significant difference in anti-DENV IgM detection for the follow-up specimens between subjects with symptomatic and asymptomatic infections. The regression analysis estimated that anti-DENV IgM persistence fell to the undetectable level at 338.3 days (95% CI 279.7-446.9) by SD ELISA, while at 175.7 days (95% CI 121.9-221.1) by Focus ELISA. The detectable frequency of anti-DENV IgM by rapid tests was 86.4%, 68.2 and 35.9% at initial, 6 and 12 months, respectively. CONCLUSION: Anti-DENV IgM was found to persist much longer than previously thought, suggesting a necessity of re-evaluation of the use of anti-DENV IgM for both the diagnosis of dengue and serological surveillance, especially when large outbreaks have occurred in the preceding year.

High estimated prevalence of asymptomatic dengue viremia in blood donors during a dengue epidemic in southern Taiwan, 2015.

BACKGROUND: Southern Taiwan experienced a severe dengue epidemic in 2015. Adult asymptomatic cases would raise concerns on transfusion-transmitted dengue virus (DENV) infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the magnitude of such a risk in Tainan City during this epidemic. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The daily prevalence of asymptomatic dengue viremia in blood donors in Tainan City and in selected high-incidence districts during the 2015 dengue epidemic was estimated by an established mathematical model. Duration of viremia, duration of viremia before symptom onset, apparent-to-inapparent infection ratio, and reporting-to-underreporting ratio were four main parameters used in the model. RESULTS: The estimated maximal and mean daily prevalence of asymptomatic dengue viremia in blood donors in Tainan during this dengue epidemic was 74.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], 60.8-88.0) and 15.0 (95% CI, 12.3-17.7) per 10,000, respectively. In the district with the highest incidence, the maximal and mean daily prevalence of asymptomatic viremia was 328.8 (95% CI, 271.1-386.2) and 55.3 (95% CI, 43.4-63.3) per 10,000, respectively. Approximately 234 (95% CI, 191-276) blood components containing DENV were produced during the epidemic. CONCLUSION: Although dengue is currently not endemic in Taiwan, physicians need to be aware of the risk of transfusion-transmitted DENV infection. Our results suggest that screening measures to ensure blood safety should be evaluated and implemented during dengue epidemics even in nonendemic areas. Timely estimation of daily asymptomatic viremia prevalence by districts can help to select high-risk areas for such measures and to evaluate cost-effectiveness.

Varicella zoster virus infection of human fetal lung cells alters mitochondrial morphology.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is a ubiquitous alphaherpesvirus that establishes latency in ganglionic neurons throughout the neuraxis after primary infection. Here, we show that VZV infection induces a time-dependent significant change in mitochondrial morphology, an important indicator of cellular health, since mitochondria are involved in essential cellular functions. VZV immediate-early protein 63 (IE63) was detected in mitochondria-rich cellular fractions extracted from infected human fetal lung fibroblasts (HFL) by Western blotting. IE63 interacted with cytochrome c oxidase in bacterial 2-hybrid analyses. Confocal microscopy of VZV-infected HFL cells at multiple times after infection revealed the presence of IE63 in the nucleus, mitochondria, and cytoplasm. Our data provide the first evidence that VZV infection induces alterations in mitochondrial morphology, including fragmentation, which may be involved in cellular damage and/or death during virus infection.

Biomarkers of severe dengue disease - a review.

Dengue virus infection presents a wide spectrum of manifestations including asymptomatic condition, dengue fever (DF), or severe forms, such as dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) in affected individuals. The early prediction of severe dengue in patients without any warning signs who may later develop severe DHF is very important to choose appropriate intensive supportive therapy since available vaccines for immunization are yet to be approved. Severe dengue responses include T and B cell activation and apoptosis, cytokine storm, hematologic disorders and complement activation. Cytokines, complement and other unidentified factors may transiently act on the endothelium and alter normal fluid barrier function of the endothelial cells and cause plasma leakage. In this review, the host factors such as activated immune and endothelial cells and their products which can be utilized as biomarkers for severe dengue disease are discussed.

Current neurological observations and complications of dengue virus infection.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne flavivirus and fastest growing tropical disease in the world, has experienced an explosion of neurologic case reports and series in recent years. Now dengue is a frequent or leading cause of encephalitis in some endemic regions, is estimated to infect one in six tourists returning from the tropics, and has been proven to have local transmission within the continental USA. High documentation of neurologic disease in recent years reflects increases in overall cases, enhanced clinical awareness and advances in diagnostics. Neurological aspects of dengue virus, along with epidemiology, treatment, and vaccine progress, are presented.

Tranylcypromine reduces herpes simplex virus 1 infection in mice.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infects the majority of the human population and establishes latency by maintaining viral genomes in neurons of sensory ganglia. Latent virus can undergo reactivation to cause recurrent infection. Both primary and recurrent infections can cause devastating diseases, including encephalitis and corneal blindness. Acyclovir is used to treat patients, but virus resistance to acyclovir is frequently reported. Recent in vitro findings reveal that pretreatment of cells with tranylcypromine (TCP), a drug widely used in the clinic to treat neurological disorders, restrains HSV-1 gene transcription by inhibiting the histone-modifying enzyme lysine-specific demethylase 1. The present study was designed to examine the anti-HSV-1 efficacy of TCP in vivo because of the paucity of reports on this issue. Using the murine model, we found that TCP decreased the severity of wild-type-virus-induced encephalitis and corneal blindness, infection with the acyclovir-resistant (thymidine kinase-negative) HSV-1 mutant, and tissue viral loads. Additionally, TCP blocked in vivo viral reactivation in trigeminal ganglia. These results support the therapeutic potential of TCP for controlling HSV-1 infection.

Immunologic hypo- or non-responder in natural dengue virus infection.

Serologically defined primary dengue virus infection and/or subsequent homologous serotype infection is known to be associated with less severe disease as compared with secondary subsequent heterologous serotype infection. In geographical locales of high dengue endemicity, almost all individuals in the population are infected at some point in time and should therefore are at high risk of secondary infection. Interestingly, dengue viremia in healthy blood donors whose sera apparently lack detectable levels of specific antibody to dengue viral antigens has been reported. The incidence rate of potential immunologic hypo- or non-responders following natural primary dengue virus infection in dengue endemic regions, who do become immune responders only after repeated exposure, has not been described. These are the patients who may be diagnosed as primary infection in the subsequent infection, but actually are secondary infection. This concept has important implications with regards to the hypothesis of immunological enhancement of dengue pathogenesis, which has largely been advanced based on empirical observations and/or from in vitro experimental assays. The fact that dengue naïve travelers can suffer from severe dengue upon primary exposure while visiting dengue endemic countries underscores one of the major problems in explaining the role of immune enhancement in the pathogenesis of severe dengue virus infection. This evidence suggests that the mechanism(s) leading to severe dengue may not be associated with pre-existing enhancing antibody. Consequently, we propose a new paradigm for dengue virus infection classification. These include a) patients with naïve primary infection, b) those that are serologically defined primary in dengue endemic zones and c) those who are serologically defined secondary dengue virus infection. We submit that clarity with regards to such definitions may help facilitate the delineation of the potential mechanisms of severe dengue virus infection.

Role of cognitive parameters in dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome.

Dengue is becoming recognized as one of the most important vector-borne human diseases. It is predominant in tropical and subtropical zones but its geographical distribution is progressively expanding, making it an escalating global health problem of today. Dengue presents with spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from asymptomatic, undifferentiated mild fever, dengue fever (DF), to dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) with or without shock (DSS), a life-threatening illness characterized by plasma leakage due to increased vascular permeability. Currently, there are no antiviral modalities or vaccines available to treat and prevent dengue. Supportive care with close monitoring is the standard clinical practice. The mechanisms leading to DHF/DSS remains poorly understood. Multiple factors have been attributed to the pathological mechanism, but only a couple of these hypotheses are popular in scientific circles. The current discussion focuses on underappreciated factors, temperature, natural IgM, and endotoxin, which may be critical components playing roles in dengue pathogenesis.

Mortality from septic shock in a dengue infected patient: a case report.

Dengue infection can be associated with secondary infections which may be challenging to recognize due to the overlap with the symptoms of dengue infection. We report here the case of a 48 year old Chinese female with dengue fever with a fatal secondary bacterial infection due to Enterococcus faecium.