Medical examiner samples: a source for dengue surveillance

Area of Science:

• * Epidemiology
• * Immunology
• * Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• * Sentinel surveillance typically relies on samples from living patients or surveys.
• * Antibody determinations are key for diagnosing and monitoring infectious diseases like dengue.
• * Post-mortem samples are an underutilized resource for public health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To evaluate the utility of post-mortem medical examiner samples for dengue surveillance.
• * To determine the prevalence of anti-dengue IgM and IgG antibodies in a deceased population.
• * To assess the feasibility of using forensic samples for estimating population serologic markers.

Main Methods:

• * Sera were collected from medical examiner cases in Puerto Rico during December 2000, April 2001, and October 2001.
• * Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were used to detect anti-dengue IgM and IgG antibodies.
• * Prevalence was calculated based on the number of positive samples out of the total tested.

Main Results:

• * Anti-dengue IgM antibodies were detected in 3% (23/780) of the samples.
• * Anti-dengue IgG antibodies were found in a higher proportion, 77% (597/777), of the samples.
• * These findings indicate prior dengue exposure within the studied population.

Conclusions:

• * Post-mortem medical examiner samples are a viable resource for sentinel surveillance of infectious diseases.
• * This method can effectively estimate population prevalence of serologic markers for dengue.
• * The approach offers a valuable alternative for public health monitoring, especially for diseases detected by antibody tests.