Dengue Fever Diagnosis: Performance Characteristics of Current Tests and Emerging Detection Technologies

Dengue fever, caused by the dengue virus and transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes, poses significant public health challenges across tropical and subtropical regions. With rising temperatures, changing mosquito habitats, and increasing global dengue incidence including to countries previously dengue-naive, accurate and timely diagnosis is crucial for effective disease management and outbreak control. This review explores the current state of both laboratory and point-of-care (POC) tests for dengue fever diagnosis. We discuss the performance characteristics, specifically sensitivity and specificity, of commercially available diagnostic options, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Additionally, we discuss emerging biosensor technologies designed for POC dengue diagnosis, which hold promise but are largely still in development. This overview aims to highlight the evolving landscape of dengue diagnostics and the potential impact of novel technologies.