Thickened Gallbladder Wall, Abdominal Pain, and Fever: A Rare Presentation of Dengue in Rural Australia

Dengue is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions, affecting millions of people worldwide. While it is not endemic to Australia, outbreaks can occur in Queensland each year. The rarity of dengue in other regions of Australia may pose a diagnostic challenge when patients present at hospitals. We report a rare case of dengue in Victoria, where the patient arrived at the Emergency Department with abdominal pain, fever, abnormal liver function tests, and a thickened gallbladder wall on imaging. The patient was referred to General Surgery for a possible diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. However, the indication for an emergency cholecystectomy was unclear due to the absence of other radiological features. The diagnostic challenge persisted until the patient tested positive for dengue virus serology.