INVESTIGADORES
RITACCO Gloria Viviana
artículos
Título:
Indigenous dengue fever in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Autor/es:
NATIELLO M; RITACCO V; MORALES MA; DEODATO B; PICOLLO M; DINERSTEIN E; ENRIA D
Revista:
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Editorial:
CENTERS DISEASE CONTROL
Referencias:
Lugar: Atlanta, GA, USA; Año: 2008 vol. 14 p. 1408 - 1409
ISSN:
1080-6040
Resumen:
We describe what might be the southernmost indigenous case of dengue fever documented in South America; this case occurred in 2007, an epidemic peak year for the disease on this continent. The patient was a pneumonologist who worked part-time at Muñiz Hospital, a referral infectious diseases treatment center in the Buenos Aires Federal District. She also provided healthcare at an outpatient clinic in Lanus, her town of residence, a suburb 6 km south of the Federal District. Febrile illness started suddenly in February 2007, midsummer season in Argentina. On day 5 of illness, fever was replaced by a short-lived rash and itching followed by asthenia and nausea that persisted for 2 days. The patient had not traveled or been accidentally exposed to patients´ blood during the previous weeks. She had never been vaccinated against yellow fever. Dengue fever was only suspected retrospectively. Serologic results provided supportive evidence of a recent dengue infection i.e., presence of immunoglobulin M, as determined by antibody-capture enzyme immunoassay, and immunoglobulin G seroconversion by 90% plaque reduction neutralization test on Vero cells. Dengue virus serotype 3 was identified, and antibody results were negative for 3 other flaviviruses. Thus, this case fulfils Pan American Health Organization criteria for the diagnosis of dengue fever. Household contacts were seronegative. No circulation of dengue virus was reported in Buenos Aires during the first 10 epidemiologic weeks of 2008. However, vector control measures should be strengthened to minimize the risk of infective persons triggering an epidemic of dengue or other flavivirus disease.