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Association between sex, nutritional status,

severity of dengue hemorrhagic fever, and
immune status in infants with dengue
hemorrhagic fever
ARTICLE in THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AND HYGIENE MAY 2005
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Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 72(4), 2005, pp. 370374

Copyright 2005 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SEX, NUTRITIONAL STATUS, SEVERITY OF DENGUE

HEMORRHAGIC FEVER, AND IMMUNE STATUS IN INFANTS WITH DENGUE
HEMORRHAGIC FEVER
NGUYEN THANH HUNG, NGUYEN TRONG LAN, HUAN-YAO LEI, YEE-SHIN LIN, LE BICH LIEN,
KAO-JEAN HUANG, CHIOU-FENG LIN, DO QUANG HA, VU THI QUE HUONG, LAM THI MY, TRAI-MING YEH,
JYH-HSIUNG HUANG, CHING-CHUAN LIU, AND SCOTT B. HALSTEAD
Department of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Childrens Hospital No. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Department of Microbiology and
Immunology, Department of Medical Technology, and Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung
University, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China; Arbovirus Laboratory, Pasteur Institute, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Department of
Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; Division of Research and Diagnosis, Center for
Disease Control, Department of Health, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China; Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences,
Bethesda, Maryland

Abstract. The association between sex, nutritional status, and the severity of dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue
shock syndrome (DHF/DSS), and immune status was investigated in 245 Vietnamese infants with predominantly
primary infections with dengue virus. Male and female infants were at equal risk of developing DHF/DSS. However,
infants of low height and weight for age were under-represented among DHF/DSS cases compared with 533 healthy
baby clinic infant controls. Acute illness phase blood levels of selected cytokines (interferon- and tumor necrosis
factor-) and serum levels of antibodies to dengue virus were elevated in the same range in male and female infants with
DHF/DSS, as well as in infants with and without malnutrition.

INTRODUCTION

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)/dengue shock syndrome

(DSS) is an important public health problem in southeast
Asian and western Pacific countries. It is one of the leading
causes of hospitalization and death among children in many
tropical Asian countries.13 Patients with DHF may die of
prolonged shock, massive bleeding (usually gastrointestinal
bleeding), respiratory failure, and dengue encephalopathy.3
The vast majority of cases, nearly 95%, are among children
less than 15 years of age; while infants comprise 5% or more
of all DHF/DSS cases.4,5
A preponderance of DHF/DSS in Thai females 4 years
old has been documented.6 Rates of infection with dengue
(DEN) virus among boys and girls have been shown to be
identical in countries endemic for DHF/DSS.6 The integrity
and strength of the cell-mediated immune response should be
correlated with the severity of DHF/DSS.7 It is known that
malnutrition suppresses cellular immune responses. Anto and
others8 and Thiasykorn and Nimmannitya9 have shown that
even mild degrees of protein-calorie malnutrition serve to
spare children from severe DHF/DSS. The immunopathogenesis of dengue virus infection, with an emphasis on the immune deviation, autoantibodies, and cytokine production has
been proposed.10 In our previous report as part of study project of DHF in infants, we demonstrated the production of
high levels of both proinflammatory cytokines (interferon-
[IFN-] and tumor necrosis factor- [TNF-]) and antiinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-10 [IL-10] and IL-6) in
infants with DHF/DSS that was consistent with infectionenhancement due to acquired maternal antibody.11 Primary
dengue virus infections in infants less than one year of age
comprise a unique subgroup of patients with DHF/DSS.5
Here we further characterize attributes of the DHF syndrome
observed in infants less than one year of age experiencing
predominantly primary dengue virus infections.

Patients. Two hundred seventy-two infants < 12 months old

admitted to the Department of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever
of Childrens Hospital No. 1 (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)
from August 1997 to December 2002 with a clinical diagnosis
of DHF according to the criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO) (1997) were enrolled in the study after parental or guardian consent was obtained.3 Dengue virus infections in the patients were confirmed by 1) a viral envelope
and membrane (E/M)specific capture IgM enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and/or a nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) serotype-specific IgG ELISA at the Center for
Disease Control in Taipei, Taiwan,12 or 2) a capture IgM
ELISA at the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City.13 Patients were under routine care of one or more of the authors.
Basic demographic data and medical history were obtained
and a detailed physical examination including measurement
of weight and height was conducted by the authors, and subsequent progress was recorded on a standard data form. Five
hundred thirty-three healthy infants who visited the outpatient department to receive vaccinations during the period
20012002 were examined as a control group for assessment
of nutritional status. Dates of birth were recorded and measurements of weight and height were obtained. The mean age
of control infants was seven months (range 211 months).
Ethical approval of the study was obtained from the Scientific
and Ethical Committee of Childrens Hospital No. 1 in Ho
Chi Minh City.
Assessment of nutritional status of DHF patients and
healthy control infants. Epi-Info 2000 1.1 software (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) was used
to calculate the anthropometric indices such as weight-for-age
(WA), height-for-age (HA), and weight-for-height (WH) of
infants with DHF and healthy control infants. These nutritional measurements were converted to z-scores (weight-for-

370

SEX AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN INFANTS WITH DENGUE

age Z-score [WAZ]; height-for-age Z-score [HAZ]; and

weight-for-height Z-score [WHZ]), also referred to as SD
units, based on the National Center for Health Statistics/
World Health Organization reference. The Z-score cutoff
point to classify low anthropometric levels is 2 SD units below
the reference median for the three indices. The cutoff for very
low anthropometric levels is more than 3 SD units below the
median.
Sample collection. Paired blood samples were collected
from each patient in the study: one acute-phase and one convalescent-phase. An acute-phase blood sample (23 mL) was
obtained at admission (days 37 after the onset of fever). A
convalescent-phase blood sample (23 mL) was obtained in
the convalescent phase (days 819 after the onset of fever).
Sera were separated as quickly as possible and stored at
70C until used.
Assessment of immune response of the patients. Immune
response of the patients was assessed by determining the capacity to produce cytokines, IgM antibody to dengue virus,
and/or NS1 serotype-specific IgG antibodies.
Capture IgM and IgG ELISAs. Capture IgM and IgG
ELISAs using diluted pooled virus antigens from culture supernatants of DEN 1-, DEN 2-, DEN 3-, DEN 4-, and Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus-infected Vero cells as antigens
were performed to measure the IgM and IgG antibodies from
paired sera of 118 infants at the Center for Disease Control in
Taipei, Taiwan. The optical densities of culture supernatants
of Vero cells with and without dengue virus infection were
designated the test absorbance and negative control value,
respectively, for each sample in the ELISA. Positivity was
determined by comparison with individual negative controls.
A positive sample had a ratio of test absorbance to negative
control 2.0, and a negative sample had a ratio < 2.0. For
serum samples with positive results in the capture IgM and
IgG ELISAs, a ratio of IgM to IgG 1.2 was defined as a
primary dengue virus infection, and a ratio < 1.2 was defined
as a secondary dengue virus infection.12 A capture IgM
ELISA using diluted dengue or JE virus antigens from infected suckling mouse brain extracted by the sucrose-acetone
method and monoclonal antibody SLE 6B6C-1/HRP conjugate was performed to measure the IgM antibodies in 154
infants following the protocol of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Fort Collins, CO) at the Pasteur Institute
in Ho Chi Minh City.13
NS1 serotype-specific IgG ELISA. An NS1 serotypespecific IgG ELISA using diluted NS1-containing culture supernatants of DEN 1-, DEN 2-, DEN 3-, DEN 4-, or JE
virus-infected Vero cells as antigens was performed to measure the NS1-specific IgG antibody from the sera of the patients. The enzyme activity was developed and the optical
density was determined.12
Cytokine assays. The plasma levels of six cytokines (IFN-,
TNF-, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4, and IL-2) of the patients were measured simultaneously by the BD Human Th1/Th2 Cytokine
Cytometric Bead Array Kit-II (BD Biosciences, Pharmigen,
CA) in a 50-L sample according to the instructions of the
manufacturer.11
Data and statistical analysis. Analysis of variance was used
to compare the statistical significance of differences in normally distributed data, while the Kruskal-Wallis test for two
groups was used if the variances in the samples differed. Statistical analyses were performed with Epi-Info 2000 version

371

1.1 software. Differences with P values < 0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS
Clinical findings of DHF/DSS patients in the study. Based
on the capture IgM ELISA, a dengue virus infection was
confirmed as the etiology for 245 of 272 infants hospitalized
with DHF. Among these infants, 182 were categorized as nonshock DHF (grade I, 1 infant; grade II, 181 infants) and 63 as
DSS (grade III, 54 infants; grade IV, 9 infants). The mean age
of the patients was 6.8 months (range 111 months). The
clinical and cytokine profiles of 107 of these patients have
been published, and serologic testing showed that almost all
(95.3%) of the patients had primary dengue virus infections.11
All patients had high continuous fever that lasted from 2 to 13
days, with a mean 5.2 days. Petechiae on the skin and hepatomegaly were observed in 244 (99.6%) and 238 (97.1%) patients, respectively. DSS was recorded in 63 (25.7%) patients
in whom there were 6 cases complicated with prolonged
shock. Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and respiratory failure
were noted in 14 (5.7%) and 13 (5.3%). Eighteen (7.3%)
patients had neurologic signs (dengue encephalopathy) manifested by convulsions (12 cases), lethargy (7 cases), coma (6
cases), and focal neurologic sign (1 case).
Hemoconcentration, as shown by a 20% increase in the
hematocrit in reference to a convalescent value, was observed
in 224 (91.4%) patients. The remaining 21 (8.5%) patients
had a 1019% increase in the hematocrit. Thrombocytopenia (platelet count 100 103/mm3) was found in 230
(93.8%); the remaining 15 (6.1%) had platelet counts of
104190 103/mm3.
Association between sex, nutritional status, and the severity of DHF in infants. The male/female ratio for all DHF
infants was 138:107 (1.29:1); for DSS cases, it was 40:23 (1.73:
1). Among 533 healthy control infants, the male/female ratio
was 276:257 (1.07:1). The distribution of sex in infants with
DHF or DSS in the study is not different from that of healthy
control subjects (odds ratio [OR] 1.20, 95% confidence
interval [CI] 0.881.65, P 0.2) (Table 1). There was no
sex bias associated with prolonged shock, GI bleeding, respiratory failure, or encephalopathy (Table 2).
Of infants with DHF/DSS, only17 (6.9%) were malnourished (underweight) as assessed by WA on admission: 16 with
moderate malnutrition (3 < WAZ <2), and 1 with severe
malnutrition (WAZ 3). Height was measured in 218 of
245 infants. When assessed by HA, 17 (7.7%) infants had
malnutrition (stunting) on admission, including 14 with moderate malnutrition and 3 with severe malnutrition. When assessed by WH, 31 (14.2%) infants were malnourished (wasting): 25 with moderate malnutrition and 6 with severe malnutrition. Among 533 control infants, 62 (11.6%), 6 (1.1%),
and 121 (22.7%) infants had malnutrition as assessed by WA,
WH, and HA, respectively. Compared with healthy controls,
malnourished infants, as assessed by WA and HA, occurred
less frequently among DHF cases (6.9% versus 11.6%; P
0.03; 7.7% versus 22.7%; P < 0.001, respectively). In contrast,
infants with DHF had a higher percentage of malnutrition
(wasting) as assessed by WH (14.2% versus 1.1%; P < 0.001).
With smaller numbers, no statistically significant differences

372

HUNG AND OTHERS

TABLE 1
Association between sex, nutritional status, and the severity of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) in infants*
Findings

Sex, number (%)

Male
Female
Nutritional status, number (%)
Assessed by weight-for-age
Normal mutritional
Malnourished
Assessed by height-for-age
Normal nutritional
Malnourished
Assessed by weight-for-height
Normal nutritional
Malnourished

All patients
(n 245)

Nonshock DHF
(n 182)

DSS
(n 63)

Healthy controls
(n 533)

OR (95% CI), P

OR (95% CI), P

138
107

98 (71)
84 (78.5)

40 (28.9)
23 (21.4)

276
257

1.20 (0.881.65), 0.2

1.49 (0.792.81), 0.2

(n 245)
228 (93.1)
17 (6.9)
(n 218)
201 (92.2)
17 (7.7)
(n 218)
187 (85.7)
31 (14.2)

(n 182)
169 (92.8)
13 (7.1)
(n 171)
160 (93.5)
11 (6.4)
(n 171)
149 (87.1)
22 (12.8)

(n 63)
59 (93.6)
4 (6.3)
(n 47)
41 (87.2)
6 (12.7)
(n 47)
38 (80.8)
9 (19.1)

(n 533)
471 (88.3)
62 (11.6)

0.55 (0.301), 0.03

0.88 (0.203.00). 1

412 (77.2)
121 (22.7)

0.29 (0.160.50), P < 0.001

2.13 (0.616.71), 0.2

527 (98.8)
6 (1.1)

3.20 (2.653.85), P < 0.001

1.60 (0.634.04), 0.3

* DSS dengue shock syndrome; OR odds ratio; CI confidence interval.

P values of comparison between all infants with DHF and healthy control infants by Yates corrected chi-square test.
P values of comparison between nonshock DHF and DSS groups by Yates corrected chi-square test or two-tailed Fisher exact test.

were observed in the distribution of various parameters of

undernutrition in the DSS and nonshock DHF group (Table 1).
Further analysis indicated that there was no association
between malnutrition status as assessed by WA and severe
complications (prolonged shock, GI bleeding, respiratory failure, and encephalopathy) in DHF infants (Table 2).
Association between sex, nutritional status, and production
of cytokines and antibodies to dengue virus in infants with
DHF/DSS. Serum concentrations of IFN-, TNF-, IL-10,
and IL-6 measured at one interval during the acute stage of
illness in 62 infants with DHF/DSS were higher than those in
control group.11 No significant differences were observed in
serum levels of IFN-, TNF-, IL-10, and IL-6 in male DHF/
DSS patients compared with female DHF/DSS patients
(Table 3).
Levels of IgM antibody to dengue virus were measured in
acute- and convalescent-phase serum samples, while NS1 serotype-specific IgG antibodies were measured in convalescent-phase serum samples. Serologic testing showed that 107
of 118 infants analyzed at the Center for Disease Control in
Taipei and 138 of 154 infants analyzed at the Pasteur Institute
in Ho Chi Minh City were positive for IgM antibodies to
dengue virus by the capture IgM ELISA. Results for NS1
serotype-specific IgG were positive in 36 infants in the study.
The results showed that male infants did not differ from female infants in their titers of IgM antibodies to dengue virus
and to NS1 serotype-specific IgG antibodies (Table 4).
Similarly, there were elevated serum levels of IFN-, TNF-

, IL-10, and IL-6 in infants with DHF/DSS with or without

malnutrition as assessed by WA (Table 3). However, except
for TNF-, the serum levels of IFN-, IL-10, and IL-6 were
not different between infants with and without malnutrition.
Further analysis also showed that the titers of IgM antibody
to dengue virus and NS1 serotype-specific IgG antibodies in
infants with DHF/DSS with or without malnutrition as assessed by WA were not significantly different (Table 4).

DISCUSSION
This study confirms the observation of a normal male:female ratio observed among Thai infants with a primary dengue virus infection complicated by DHF/DSS.14,15 The
present study is the first in Vietnam to assess the relationship
in infants with a confirmed primary dengue virus infection
between sex and the severity of DHF (nonshock DHF versus
DSS) and severe complications. There was no significant difference between the percentage of male and female infants
with DSS (28.9% versus 21.4%; OR 1.49, 95% CI
0.792.81, P 0.2) (Table 1). The results of this study also
showed that there was no relationhip between sex and severe
complications of DHF, such as prolonged shock, GI bleeding,
respiratory failure, and encephalopathy, in infants.
Assessment of the nutritional status of infants with DHF/
DSS in the present study showed that only 6.9%, 14.2%, and
7.7% of the patients were malnourished as assessed by WA,
HA, and WH, respectively. Infants with DHF had lower per-

TABLE 2
Association between sex and malnutrition as assessed by weight-for-age and severe complications in dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock
syndrome (DHF/DSS) in infants*

Severe complications

Male DHF/DSS
infants (n 138)

Female DHF/DSS
infants (n 107)

Malnourished
DHF/DSS infants
(n 17)

Normal nutritional
DHF/DSS infants
(n 228)

OR (95% CI), P

OR (95% CI), P

GI bleeding
Prolonged shock
Respiratory failure
Hepatic failure
Encephalopathy

9
3
6
8
9

5
3
7
4
9

1
1
1
3
2

13
5
12
9
16

1.42 (0.415.57), 0.7

0.55 (0.074.46), 0.6
0.65 (0.182.26), 0.6
1.55 (0.485.01), 0.6
0.76 (0.262.20), 0.7

1.03 (0.08.61), 1
3.49 (0.0654.54), 0.3
1.13 (0.09.47), 1
3.47 (0.5421.63), 0.1
1.77 (0.09.35), 0.3

* GI gastrointestinal; OR odds ratio; CI confidence interval.

P values of comparison between male and female infants with DHF/DSS by Yates corrected chi-square test and two-tailed Fishers exact test.
P values of comparison between infants with DHF/DSS with and without malnutrition by two-tailed Fishers exact test.

373

SEX AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS IN INFANTS WITH DENGUE

TABLE 3
Comparison of serum levels of cytokines in acute-phase serum samples between male and female infants with dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue
shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) and between infants with DHF/DSS with and without malnutrition as assessed by weight-for-age*
Cytokine,
mean SD
pg/mL (range)

IFN-
TNF-
IL-10
IL-6
IL-4
IL-2

All patients
(n 62)

Male
DHF/DSS
infants
(n 35)

Female
DHF/DSS
infants
(n 27)

Malnourished
infants (n 6)

Normal
nutritional
infants (n 56)

56.2 115.4
(0690.8)
9.0 13.2
(077.6)
73.8 69.8
(2.8405.1)
28.2 41.7
(0210)
2.0 3.2
(017)
2.6 4.7
(030)

46.7 76.8
(0351.3)
9.5 11.6
(044)
87.8 83.4
(2.8405.1)
33.4 48.0
(0210)
2.3 3.6
(017)
3.5 5.7
(030)

68.6 152.5
(0690.8)
8.4 15.4
(077.6)
55.6 41.7
(5.4135.4)
21.4 31.3
(2.1123.2)
1.5 2.7
(010.3)
1.5 2.4
(08.6)

237.7 275.5
(0690.8)
19.2 11.4
(2.531.4)
84.8 50.2
(20.8160.2)
26.2 20.2
(2.956.1)
5.4 3.7
(010.3)
4.1 4.3
(010.4)

36.8 62.4
(0351.3)
7.9 13.0
(077.6)
72.6 71.9
(2.8405.1)
28.4 43.5
(0210)
1.6 2.9
(017)
2.5 4.7
(030)

Controls
(n 6)

4.1 5.8
(013.9)
0.8 1.2
(02.1)
0.3 0.9
(02.3)
1.4 2.2
(04.9)
0.2 0.5
(01.4)
1.8 2.4
(06)

0.01, 0.7
0.07
0.01, 0.5
0.01
<0.001, 0.1
0.3
<0.001, 0.09
0.5
0.2, 0.4
0.003
0.9, 0.1
0.1

* IFN interferon; TNF tumor necrosis factor; IL interleukin.

P values of comparison between all DHF/DSS infants and controls, male and female infants with DHF/DSS and infants with DHF/DSS with malnutrition and those with normal nutritional
status by the Kruskal-Wallis test.

centage of malnutrition as assessed by WA and HA (6.9%

versus 11.6%; P 0.03; 7.7% versus 22.7%; P < 0.001, respectively) compared with the healthy control subjects. The
results of two surveys (500 patients for each survey) to assess
the nutritional status of inpatients of other diseases at Childrens Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City in 2001 and 2003
conducted by the Department of Clinical Nutrition showed
that 31.4% and 29.4% of these patients had malnutrition as
assessed by WA, respectively, while 24.634.9% of the infant
group had malnutrition (Hoa NT and others, unpublished
data). In humans, moderate/severe malnutrition is associated
with a significant reduction in cell-mediated immunity, as indicated by a reduced number of CD4+ T helper cells, and a
lower CD4+/CD8+ratio. There is also a reduction in the production of secretory IgA antibody and various complement
components (C3, C4, and factor B) and impairment of phagocytosis. The production of certain cytokines such as IL-2 and
TNF is also decreased.16 Anto and others8 and Thiasykorn
and Nimmannitya9 have shown that even mild degrees of
protein-calorie malnutrition are in children more than one
year of age with severe DHF/DSS compared with controls.
This suggests that malnutrition blunts the severity of second-

ary dengue infections by possibly reducing T cell activities.

Here we show a similar effect on the severity of dengue infections in infants, with the difference being that nearly all
these infants were experiencing a primary immune response.
In this immunologic setting, cytokine production is not enhanced by a memory T cell phenomenon.
Nutritional status did not convey absolute protection from
severe clinical dengue disease. Infants with moderate malnutrition (WA) and DHF/DSS had serum levels of cytokines
(IFN-, TNF-, IL-10, and IL-6), and antibodies to dengue
virus that were not different from infants with DHF/DSS
without malnutrition.
The present study showed that there was no association
between sex, nutritional status, and the severity of DHF/DSS
in infants with a primary type dengue antibody response
(nonshock DHF versus DSS). The production of cytokines
and antibodies to dengue virus was not different between
male and female infants with DHF, as well as between infants
with and without malnutrition.
Received September 18, 2004. Accepted for publication November
18, 2004.

TABLE 4
Comparison of levels of anti-dengue IgM, NS1 serotype-specific IgG antibodies between male and female infants with dengue hemorrhagic
fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS) and between infants with DHF/DSS with and without malnutrition as assessed by weight-for-age*
IgM ELISA/NS1
serotype-specific IgG ELISA
(highest OD), mean SD) (range)

IgM ELISA
At Center for Disease Control,
Taipei, Taiwan
At Pasteur Institute, Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam
NS1 serotype-specific IgG
ELISA

All patients

Male
DHF/DSS
infants

Female
DHF/DSS
infants

Malnourished
infants

Normal nutritional
infants

(n 107)
2.8 1.1
(0.34.0)
(n 138)
1.8 0.5
(0.43.2)
(n 36)
1.2 0.6
(0.43.1)

(n 57)
2.9 1.1
(0.34.0)
(n 81)
1.8 0.5
(0.43.2)
(n 20)
1.1 0.5
(0.42.1)

(n 50)
2.8 1.0
(0.34.0)
(n 57)
1.7 0.5
(0.42.2)
(n 16)
1.3 0.6
(0.43.1)

(n 8)
2.8 0.8
(1.13.8)
(n 9)
1.7 0.4
(0.42.8)
(n 2)
1.5 0.3
(1.31.7)

(n 99)
2.9 1.1
(0.34.0)
(n 129)
1.8 0.6
(0.43.2)
(n 34)
1.2 0.6
(0.43.1)

0.6, 0.4
0.8, 0.6
0.3, 0.3

* NS1 nonstructural protein 1; ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; OD optical density. Levels of IgM antibody to dengue virus were measured in acute- and convalescentphase serum samples, while NS1 serotype-specific IgG antibodies were measured in convalescent-phase serum samples.
P values of comparison between male and female infants with DHF/DSS, with and without malnutrition by the Kruskal-Wallis test.
P values of comparison between infants with DHF/DSS with and without malnutrition by the Kruskal-Wallis test.

374

HUNG AND OTHERS

Acknowledgments: We thank Dr. Tran Tan Tram (Childrens Hospital No. 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) and Dr. Chung-Ming Chang
(National Health Research Institutes, Taipei, Taiwan) for help and
support during the course of this study. We also thank Dr. Hoang Le
Phuc for help with data analyses, and the doctors and nurses of the
Department of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Childrens Hospital No.
1-Ho Chi Minh City for providing excellent patient care.

6.

Financial support: This work was partially supported by grant NHRICN-CL9303P from the National Health Research Institutes (Taiwan).

7.

Disclosure: None of the authors have commercial or other associations that might pose a conflict of interest.
Authors addresses: Nguyen Thanh Hung, Nguyen Trong Lan, Department of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Childrens Hospital No.1,
341 Su Van Hanh Street, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,
Telephone: 84-8- 927-1119 or 84-8- 927-1156, Fax: 84-8-927-0053, Email: [email protected]. Huan Yao-Lei, Yee-Shin Lin, Le Bich
Lien, Kao-Jean Huang, and Chiou-Feng Lin, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung
University, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Do Quang Ha and
Vu Thi Que Huong, Arbovirus Laboratory, Pasteur Institute, Ho Chi
Minh City, Vietnam. Lam Thi My, Department of Pediatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. TraiMing Yeh, Department of Medical Technology, College of Medicine,
National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of
China. Jyh-Hsiung Huang, Division of Research and Diagnosis, Center for Disease Control, Department of Health, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. Scott B. Halstead, Uniformed Services University of
the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD 20815, E-mail: halsteads@
erols.com.

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