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PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases logoLink to PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
. 2023 Mar 30;17(3):e0011253. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011253

Early diagnosis of dengue: Diagnostic utility of the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo rapid test in Reunion Island

Olivier Maillard 1,2,*,#, Jeanne Belot 3,#, Thibault Adenis 3, Olivier Rollot 1,2, Antoine Adenis 4,5, Bertrand Guihard 6, Patrick Gérardin 1,2, Antoine Bertolotti 2,7
Editor: Puneet Bhatt8
PMCID: PMC10089357  PMID: 36996260

Abstract

Background

In Reunion Island, dengue outbreaks have been occurring since 2018. The healthcare facilities are facing the problem of managing a massive influx of patients and a growing care burden. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of the SD Bioline Dengue Duo rapid diagnostic test in adults consulting at an emergency department during the 2019 epidemic.

Methodology/Principal findings

This retrospective study of diagnostic accuracy included patients over 18 years old, suspected of dengue, who were admitted to emergency units of the University Hospital of Reunion between the 1st of January and 30th of June, 2019, and were tested for dengue fever with the SD Bioline Dengue Duo rapid diagnostic test and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Over the study period, 2099 patients were screened retrospectively. Of them, 671 patients matched the inclusion criteria. The overall rapid diagnostic test performance was 42% for sensitivity and 15% for specificity. The non-structural 1 antigen component had a good specificity of 82% but a low sensitivity of 12%. The immunoglobulin M component had a sensitivity of 28% and a specificity of 33%. Sensitivities were slightly improved beyond the 5th day of illness compared to the early stage for all components, but only the non-structural 1 antigen component had a better specificity of 91%. Furthermore, predictive values were low and post-test probabilities never improved pre-test probabilities in our setting.

Conclusions/Significance

These results suggest that the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT did not achieve sufficient performance levels to rule in, or discard, an early point of care dengue diagnosis in the emergency department during the 2019 epidemic in Reunion.

Author summary

Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease. Most often mild, it can progress to a severe form that can lead to death. Since 2018, dengue outbreaks have occurred in Reunion Island, a French overseas territory, with an increasing number of confirmed cases and related deaths reported over these years. The care burden of dengue during epidemics often exceeds the capacity of health care facilities. To optimize the management of cases, it is necessary to diagnose infected patients early. However, clinical diagnosis is difficult as dengue occurs as an influenza-like illness with broad spectrum and non-specific symptoms, and laboratory confirmation is expensive, not immediate and not always available. Therefore, rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) have been developed and could serve as a sensitive, specific, robust point of care diagnostic tool. Although promising, RDT performance is variable depending on the setting. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT in emergency departments of Reunion during the 2019 epidemic. Results suggest that the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT did not achieve sufficient performance levels to rule in or discard an early point of care dengue diagnosis in our setting.

Introduction

Dengue fever is the most common mosquito-borne viral disease [1]. The massive increase of dengue incidence, with 400 million estimated annual cases worldwide combined with the geographical extension of its vector, the Aedes mosquito, makes dengue a major public health concern [1,2]. Previously known as a tropical and subtropical disease, dengue fever is now considered as a seasonal epidemic risk in Europe [3].

Dengue outbreaks have been growing in Reunion island since 2018, with an increasing number of confirmed cases and related deaths reported [4,5]. The care burden of dengue during epidemics often exceeds the capacity of health care facilities. To optimize the management of cases, it is necessary to diagnose infected patients early. However, clinical diagnosis is difficult as dengue occurs as an influenza-like illness with broad spectrum and non-specific symptoms. Biological diagnosis’ confirmation may be achieved by either virus isolation, or molecular amplification of dengue virus (DENV) RNA with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), or immunoassays to detect DENV non-structural 1 (NS1) antigen alone or in combination with DENV IgM and IgG antibodies. All of these techniques are expensive, not immediate and not always available [68]. To meet the need for early and accurate diagnosis, rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) have been developed [7,9], which can provide results within fifteen minutes. They could serve as a sensitive, specific, robust point of care diagnostic tool and do not require any equipment [7]. Although promising, RDT sensibility and specificity vary depending on the stage of the disease and the serotype, and both decrease in case of secondary infection [711]. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the performance of the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT (Standard Diagnostics, South Korea) in Reunion Island during the 2019 epidemic and whether physicians could make a diagnosis on the basis of its results in this setting.

Methods

Ethical approval

This monocentric, observational, retrospective, diagnostic study was conducted according to the MR-004 reference methodology from the National Commission of Informatics and Liberties (CNIL), which complies with the General Data Protection Regulation. In accordance with French regulations, this retrospective study did not require approval from an ethics committee. It was reported according to the STARD (Standard for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy) guideline (S1 Table). The EPIDENGUE database was registered in the national health data hub (n° F20201021104344). Non-refusal of participation was collected. Data was treated anonymously from patients’ medical records.

Study design

Data was retrieved from the EPIDENGUE database, which is a retrospective collection from medical files of the characteristics of consecutive patients suspected of dengue fever, who were admitted to emergency departments of the University Hospital of Reunion between 1st of January and 30th of June, 2019. The EPIDENGUE database was set up to study dengue fever in Reunionese patients first during 2019 epidemic while a prospective study was launched at the same time but with limited recruitment because emergency services were overwhelmed during the epidemic. A retrospective study of diagnostic accuracy of SD Bioline dengue duo RDT was conducted in patients over 18 years of age because only few children had both RDT and RT-PCR. Of them, we searched for all patients who underwent RDT for dengue diagnosis at admission. Patients suspected of having dengue fever underwent point-of-care testing by blood sampling on admission. All had an RDT evaluated by a primary care physician, and a few also had a reference test, i.e. real-time RT-PCR during the acute phase (from day 0 to day 5), RT-PCR and IgM serology (from day 5 to day 7), and IgM serology during the convalescent phase (from day 5 to day 10), performed by laboratory staff blinded to RDT results. The serology wasn’t systematically double checked three weeks later during the epidemic, or in ambulatory care, so that data link could not be made with confidence. This is the reason why only cases with both RDT and RT-PCR results were included in the study.

The sample size derived from the availability of results of the RDT used at point-of-care during this epidemic and the RT-PCR used for on-site routine diagnosis over the period.

In this conditions, a sample size of 547 patients produces a two-sided 95% confidence interval with a width ranging from 0.078 to 0,127 for component sensitivities from 0.1 to 0.9, and from 0.072 and 0.117 for a component specificities from 0.1 to 0.9. Sample size calculation was performed using PASS software (PASS 2020, NCSS, LLC, Kaysville, Utah, USA).

Diagnostic tests

The diagnostic test under study was the SD Bioline Dengue Duo (Standard Diagnostics, South Korea). This is a rapid immunochromatographic one-step assay to detect simultaneously the NS1 antigen and IgM and IgG DENV antibodies. The presence of colored lines in both result windows (control and patient) indicates a positive result. A faint line in NS1 or IgM antibodies was considered positive, in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. The results of the IgG antibodies were not taken into consideration because they are not used to validate the diagnosis of acute infection in current practice. The reference laboratory test for dengue diagnosis confirmation in the study was the Tropical Fever Core multiplex RT-PCR (Fast Track Diagnostics, Luxembourg), which was a conventional, two step, real-time RT-PCR used for on-site diagnosis at the time of the epidemic. This kit was chosen as routine, as it could detect dengue (without differentiation between serotypes), chikungunya and West Nile viruses, Leptospira spp., Rickettsia spp. and Salmonella spp., and Plasmodium spp., which are pathogens that could circulate in the South West Indian Ocean region. In the case of PCR inhibitors, which could be detected by negative internal controls, results were rendered non interpretable or doubtful but not negative, and a new sample was required, or a second RNA extraction. All procedures were performed according to the manufacturer’s protocols. Serology was not done routinely, but when there was a positive IgM RDT or a strong suspicion of dengue fever and a negative RT-PCR result.

Final diagnosis

The patients were considered confirmed dengue cases if they had positive RT-PCR or positive NS1 RDT. Probable dengue cases were identified as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009, without positive biological diagnostic tests but with clinical and biological features compatible with dengue. Otherwise, patients were considered non-probable dengue cases.

Statistical analysis

Categorical variables were summarized with numbers and percentages, and comparisons between groups were performed using Chi-2 or Fisher’s exact test. Continuous variables were described as means and standard deviations or medians and interquartile ranges. Multiple comparisons were performed using analyses of variance (ANOVA) or Kruskall-Wallis test, as appropriate, and the Mood’s median test for comparison of medians. The normality of the distributions was checked by the Shapiro-Wilk test and the homogeneity of variances by the Levene test.

Intrinsic characteristics of the RDT were reported in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios with their 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses by diagnosis (lab-confirmed vs probable dengue and non-probable dengue) and duration from illness onset (DIO) were also performed. To assess diagnostic utility, predictive values and post-test probabilities (95%CI) of dengue for positive and negative tests were calculated for the whole RDT and components, if information on component results was available in patients’ files. Pre-test probability (prevalence) of dengue among participants was first converted to odds equal to prevalence/(1-prevalence). Pre-test odds was then multiplied with corresponding LR to get post-test odds that were converted back to probabilities equal to odds/(1 + odds) [12].

Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS software (IBM SPSS 23.0, Amonk, NY, USA). All tests were two-tailed and a P-value below 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results

Of the 2,099 patients over 18 years of age who were admitted in emergency departments of the University Hospital of Reunion during the first semester of 2019, 946 patients were sampled for RDT. Among them, 671 patients also underwent RT-PCR, 286 (43%) were RT-PCR positive, 449 (67%) were RDT positive, of which 85 (19%) were NS1 antigen positive, 267 (59%) were IgM antibodies positive, 88 (20%) were IgG antibodies positive, and 124 (28%) were globally positive without other details in their medical files (Fig 1). Among the 547 patients with detailed RDT results, dengue diagnosis was confirmed in 306 (56%). It was probable in 191 (35%) and non-probable in 50 (9%).

Fig 1. Flowchart of sample selection.

Fig 1

Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; RT-PCR: reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; IgG: immunoglobulin G.

The demographic and clinical features as well as biological data of included cases are reported in Table 1. Confirmed or probable dengue patients were older than non-probable dengue patients (median age: 55 or 60 versus 41 years old, P = 0.032). Fever was the main symptom reported in 288 (94%) confirmed cases. The other most common symptoms reported in confirmed cases were asthenia in 213 (70%), myalgia in 194 (63%), gastrointestinal symptoms in 184 (60%), headache in 167 (55%), anorexia in 164 (54%), arthralgia in 143 (47%), cutaneous signs in 109 (36%) and neurological disorders in 85 (28%) with statistical differences between groups (P<0.001). They were less frequent in other groups. White blood cells, neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, and prothrombin ratio (PR) were significantly different between the groups. They were lower in confirmed cases than other groups except PR, which was lower in non-probable dengue patients.

Table 1. Characteristics of study population, Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

Characteristics Confirmed dengue (n = 306) Probable dengue (n = 191) Non-probable dengue (n = 50) P value
Demographic
Male 157 (51) 91 (48) 25 (50) 0.729
Female 149 (49) 100 (52) 25 (50)
Age median(range) 55 (18–96) 60 (19–91) 41 (18–96) 0.032
Background
Charlson score
mean±SD
2.4 ± 2.8 (306) 2.6 ± 2.8 (191) 1.4 ± 2.1 (50) 0.006
0 109 (36) 63 (33) 29 (58)
1 47 (15) 20 (11) 6 (12)
2 32 (11) 26 (14) 2 (4)
3 36 (12) 29 (15) 5 (10)
4 21 (7) 15 (8) 3 (6)
5 19 (6) 11 (6) 2 (4)
< 5 244 (80) 153 (80) 45 (90) 0.177
≥ 5 62 (20) 38 (20) 5 (10)
Clinical features
Fever 288 (94) 121 (63) 9 (18) <0.001
Asthenia 213 (70) 123 (64) 6 (12) <0.001
Anorexia 164 (54) 83 (44) 4 (8) <0.001
Headache 167 (55) 72 (38) 6 (12) <0.001
Retro orbital pain 65 (21) 24 (13) 4 (8) <0.001
Myalgia 194 (63) 79 (41) 6 (12) <0.001
Arthralgia 143 (47) 56 (29) 4 (8) <0.001
Backache 68 (22) 27 (14) 1 (2) <0.001
Cutaneous signs 109 (36) 29 (15) 1 (2) <0.001
GI symptoms 184 (60) 88 (46) 3 (6) <0.001
Neurological disorders 85 (28) 35 (18) 0 <0.001
Bleeding* 48 (16) 15 (8) 1 (2) 0.001
Severe dengue** 68 (22) 42 (22) - 0.376
DIO (days) 2.2 ± 2.3 (304) 3.3 ± 3.9 (162) 3.8 ± 4.9 (15) 0.003
≤ 5 days 275 (90) 129 (80) 12 (80) 0.002
> 5 days 29 (10) 33 (20) 3 (20)
Hospitalization 118 (39) 60 (31) 4 (8) <0.001
LOS (days) 5.7 ± 3.8 (116) 6.3 ± 4.8 (59) 14.3 ± 12.1 (4) 0.168
Biological parameters
Hemoglobin (g/dL) 13.7 ± 2.0 (260) 13.5 ± 1.9 (146) 13.8 ± 1.9 (17) 0.604
Hematocrit (%) 40.1 ± 5.1 (260) 39.8 ± 4.8 (146) 40.9 ± 4.4 (17) 0.513
WBC (G/L) 5.3 ± 4.0 (260) 7.2 ± 4.0 (146) 11.5 ± 7.8 (17) <0.001
Neutrophils (G/L) 3.8 ± 2.7 (253) 5.1 ± 3.7 (146) 8.8 ± 7.9 (16) <0.001
Lymphocyts (G/L) 0.8 ± 2.1 (253) 1.3 ± 0.8 (146) 2.1 ± 0.8 (16) <0.001
Platelets (G/L) 166 ± 77 (260) 192 ± 87 (146) 203 ± 60 (17) 0.009
PR (%) 89 ±16 (251) 91 ± 20 (144) 75 ± 27 (16) 0.002

Gastrointestinal symptoms: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Cutaneous signs: conjunctivitis, dysgeusia, oral damage, erythema (located or diffuse), itching

Bleeding: gingivorragia, menometrorragia, hemoptysis, epistaxis, gastrointestinal bleeding, purpura

**Severe dengue: OMS definition 2009

DIO: duration from illness onset; LOS: length of stay; WBC: white blood cells; PR: prothrombin ratio

Intrinsic properties of the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT are given in Table 2. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 42% (95%CI: 37–48) and 15% (95%CI:11–19). The NS1 component had a sensitivity of 12% (95%CI: 9–17) and specificity of 82% (95%CI: 77–86). The IgM component had a sensitivity of 28% (95%CI: 22–34) and a specificity of 33% (95%CI: 28–39). The overall sensitivity (NS1 or IgM component) was 33% (95%CI: 27–39) and the overall specificity was 24% (95%CI: 20–30). The best specificity, 91% (95%CI: 87–94), was found for the combined NS1 and IgM components with a sensitivity of 8% (95%CI: 5–12).

Table 2. Performance of SD Bioline Dengue Duo rapid diagnostic test, Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

RDT components Sensitivity (%) Specificity (%) PLR NLR
Overall 42 (37–48) 15 (11–19) 0.50 (0.43–0.57) 3.90 (3.01–5.05)
NS1 Ag 12 (9–17) 82 (77–86) 0.67 (0.45–1.01) 1.07 (1.00–1.15)
IgM 28 (22–34) 33 (28–39) 0.42 (0.34–0.52) 2.17 (1.82–2.60)
NS1 Ag or IgM 33 (27–39) 24 (20–30) 0.43 (0.36–0.52) 2.76 (2.22–3.44)
NS1 Ag and IgM 8 (5–12) 91 (87–94) 0.79 (0.45–1.39) 1.02 (0.97–1.08)

RDT: rapid diagnostic test; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

Furthermore, performance of the RDT was analyzed according to duration from illness onset (DIO) at the point of admission to the emergency department. This evaluation was conducted in a subpopulation with available DIO (88% of total). More than 80% of patients visited hospital in the first five days of symptoms. The sensitivity and specificity of the RDT for the NS1 component and the sensitivity for the IgM component were improved in patients admitted after five days from illness onset, compared to within the first five days of illness onset. The detailed results are presented in S2 and S3 Tables. For information, performance of the IgG component is shown in S4 Table.

Diagnostic accuracy depends on the pre-test probability through the prevalence of the disease. We calculated predictive values and post-test probabilities of dengue for the RDT with a pre-test probability of dengue of 46%, which corresponded to the sampling conditions in our setting (Table 3). Post-test probability of dengue for at least one positive test component never improved the pre-test probability. Moreover, post-test probability of dengue for negative test components always exceeded the post-test probability of dengue for at least one positive test component. The conditions of sampling did not reflect the prevalence in our setting. Analyses in different pre-test probabilities ranging from 5% to 30% are detailed in S5 Table.

Table 3. Diagnostic utility estimates and their 95% confidence interval for the RDT with a pre-test probability of dengue of 46% (sampling conditions), Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

RDT components PPV (%) NPV (%) Diagnostic accuracy (%) Post-test probability of dengue for positive test component (%) Post-test probability of dengue for negative test component (%)
Overall 27 (24–30) 26 (21–31) 27 (23–30) 27 (24–30) 74 (69–79)
NS1 Ag 36 (28–46) 52 (50–54) 50 (45–54) 37 (28–46) 48 (46–50)
IgM 26 (22–31) 35 (31–39) 31 (27–35) 26 (22–31) 65 (61–69)
NS1 Ag or IgM 27 (23–31) 30 (25–35) 28 (24–32) 27 (23–31) 70 (65–75)
NS1 Ag and IgM 40 (28–54) 53 (52–55) 52 (48–57) 40 (28–54) 47 (45–48)

RDT: rapid diagnostic test; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; PPV: positive predictive value; NPV: negative predictive value.

Discussion

In this retrospective study, the comparative performance of the NS1 antigen and IgM antibodies components of the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT were analyzed relative to RT-PCR and by DIO. The NS1 and IgM antibodies components presented higher specificity when combined than separately. Conversely, the sensitivity was very low. Specificity of the IgM component alone was exceptionally low either in acute or convalescent phase. There was an improvement of sensitivity of NS1 and IgM components when the DIO was higher than 5 days, but most patients (87%) consulted within the first five days of illness onset. Therefore an RDT for early diagnosis at point of care was needed in our setting.

Most previous studies on the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT found varying but better sensitivities, either for NS1 component ranging between 39–88% or for IgM component 14–98%, or for combined components 31–91%. They found better specificities for IgM component ranging between 80–96% [911,13,14]. Most of these studies were conducted on hospitalized patients or hospital serum samples. They usually have more severe disease presentation and consequently more inflammation and a greater immune response [14]. In this study, confirmed cases had a wide spectrum of symptoms going from asymptomatic to severe dengue, but most had mild symptoms. Moreover, all patients included were suspected of dengue and had point of care testing, whereas many studies were conducted on a convenient serum sample collection [10,11,13,1518].

The choice of the reference diagnostic test used in performance RDT studies is known to influence the results [14,19]. In the study of Kikuti et al., the overall sensitivity for the NS1 RDT was 38,6%, but when the NS1 ELISA was the only reference diagnostic test used, the RDT achieved a high sensitivity (90,4%) [14]. The majority of studies use ELISA tests as a reference diagnostic test, or a combined strategy with ELISA and RT-PCR [10,11,13,14].

The persistence of residual NS1 antigen in patients’ blood during the convalescent phase while DENV viremia quickly declines may have decreased RT PCR sensitivity and subsequently NS1 RDT specificity [1].

IgM antibodies appear with a later delay in primary infections (>6 days) than in secondary infections (day 4). IgM antibodies have a longer duration for primary infection (until three months) than for secondary infection (<10 days). Moreover, there are cross reactions with other infectious diseases [10,20] which is well-known with other flaviviruses, but also chikungunya, of which a large epidemic occurred in Reunion in 2005–2006 [21,22]. It is also reported with leptospirosis and rickettsioses, which are endemic in Reunion, with overlapping features at the acute phase with dengue [23,24]. It could explain, in our setting of primary dengue infections, the low sensitivity and specificity of IgM RDT when compared to RT PCR as reference test.

When focusing on the 89 positive IgM RDT at Day 0 and Day 1 of the onset of illness, only 27 (30%) were RT-PCR positive and 67 (75%) had a serology test but only five (6%) were positive in IgM antibodies. As they were also positive in IgG antibodies, these five patients seemed to be in the convalescent phase of a previous dengue fever. However, three also had a positive RT-PCR that could be explained by a secondary dengue, but serum neutralization was not routinely done in 2019 because Reunionese people were presumed to be naïve to dengue. Even if some patients may have mistaken the date of onset of symptoms, these results also illustrate the bad performance of IgM RDT component compared to IgM ELISA, due to a high rate of false positives at Day 0 and Day 1.

In our study, the DENV infecting serotype was not determined routinely but in a sample of patients, and in 2019 the main serotype reported was DENV-2. Recent studies from Asia and Venezuela have found that the sensitivity of NS1 RDT would be lower for DENV-2 infections [25,26].

This study may suffer from selection bias because of the retrospective design, the hospital’s recruitment and the lack of information in the patients’ medical files (124 RDT results were reported as positive without information on the components results and some DIO could not have been estimated). Furthermore, the reference diagnostic test was only RT-PCR because most patients consulted within the first five days of illness, thus a few had a serology done at the time of RDT, with often only one IgM ELISA result in their medical file, and a positive result might represents either an active or a previous, recent infection.

In conclusion, our findings suggest that the SD Bioline Dengue Duo RDT does not achieve sufficient performance levels to rule in or discard a dengue diagnosis at point of care in our setting. Dengue endemization with yearly epidemics in Reunion Island challenges the diagnosis of dengue fever in the context of other endemic diseases with the same clinical presentation at an early stage of management.

Supporting information

S1 Table. STARD (Standard for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy) 2015 checklist.

(DOCX)

S2 Table. Performance of RDT with duration from illness onset ≤ 5 days vs > 5 days, Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

(DOCX)

S3 Table. Performance of NS1 and IgM RDT depending on the duration from illness onset, Reunion, 2019 (N = 547).

Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

(DOCX)

S4 Table. Performance of IgG RDT with duration from illness onset ≤ 5 days vs > 5 days, Reunion, 2019 (N = 547).

Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; IgG: immunoglobulin G; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

(DOCX)

S5 Table. Post-test probabilities and their 95% confidence interval for the RDT according to pre-test probability of dengue, Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

Legend: CI: confidence interval.

(DOCX)

Acknowledgments

All authors thank the emergency departments’ staff of the University Hospital of Reunion for rigorously filling out the patient records and all collaborators of the EPIDENGUE project for filling out the case report form, as well as our copy editor Jennifer Sanders.

Data Availability

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. The data underlying the results presented in the study are available from the INSERM CIC1410 (cic@chu-reunion.fr).

Funding Statement

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011253.r001

Decision Letter 0

Elvina Viennet, Puneet Bhatt

19 Oct 2022

Dear Dr Maillard,

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Early diagnosis of dengue: diagnostic utility of the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo rapid test in Reunion Island" for consideration at PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. As with all papers reviewed by the journal, your manuscript was reviewed by members of the editorial board and by several independent reviewers. In light of the reviews (below this email), we would like to invite the resubmission of a significantly-revised version that takes into account the reviewers' comments.

We cannot make any decision about publication until we have seen the revised manuscript and your response to the reviewers' comments. Your revised manuscript is also likely to be sent to reviewers for further evaluation.

When you are ready to resubmit, please upload the following:

[1] A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to the review comments and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript. Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out.

[2] Two versions of the revised manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed; the other a clean version (uploaded as the manuscript file).

Important additional instructions are given below your reviewer comments.

Please prepare and submit your revised manuscript within 60 days. If you anticipate any delay, please let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email. Please note that revised manuscripts received after the 60-day due date may require evaluation and peer review similar to newly submitted manuscripts.

Thank you again for your submission. We hope that our editorial process has been constructive so far, and we welcome your feedback at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Puneet Bhatt, MD

Guest Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Elvina Viennet

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Key Review Criteria Required for Acceptance?

As you describe the new analyses required for acceptance, please consider the following:

Methods

-Are the objectives of the study clearly articulated with a clear testable hypothesis stated?

-Is the study design appropriate to address the stated objectives?

-Is the population clearly described and appropriate for the hypothesis being tested?

-Is the sample size sufficient to ensure adequate power to address the hypothesis being tested?

-Were correct statistical analysis used to support conclusions?

-Are there concerns about ethical or regulatory requirements being met?

Reviewer #1: 1. In the Flow chart Fig 1; Information regarding break up of RT-PCR positive in NS1Ag positive and IgM positive samples would be useful for the reason being IgM positive samples by RDT which were RT-PCR negative (being used as Reference standard) would have resulted inputs regarding any cross reactive antibodies to other closely related Flaviviruses such as West Nile or Japanese encephalitis viruses. This could have been resolved by more specific µ-capture IgM ELISA test in such samples.

2. Whether RT-PCR inhibitors were taken care of in the samples which were found negative by RT-PCR but were found positive by RDT for Dengue antibodies?

Reviewer #2: The authors made only patients record review only in this study. Is it possible to say retrospective study?

What is the main topics of this manuscript. According to the title, we understood that the usefulness of RDT kits for diagnosis of dengue infection by comparing gold standard tests. But in this study, the authors did not use the full set of gold standard tests for confirmation of IgM Ab. The authors described that gold standard tests used RT-PCR. It is not full set because the authors also used IgM Ab for diagnosis of acute DENV infection. The authors should also test one gold standard IgM Ab tests which is validated for no cross reactivity with other flaviviruses. This is the biggest weak point of this study and the test performance is decreased due to not include IgM Ab at gold standard.

According to the flowchart Fig-1, it is very difficult to interpret for the readers. The authors described step by step but only 325 samples done for reference tests. So the sample size only 325. For calculation of the sensitivity, specificity, all sample must do reference tests to check your RDT test kit is correct or not? The author need to analyse only 325 samples and the authors must do gold standard IgM Ab ELISA test for publication to meet the standard at the reputed international journal.

Reviewer #3: Sample size calculation not mentioned

--------------------

Results

-Does the analysis presented match the analysis plan?

-Are the results clearly and completely presented?

-Are the figures (Tables, Images) of sufficient quality for clarity?

Reviewer #1: 3. As seen from S3 table “Performance of NS1 and IgM RDT….”, column “4” on IgM RDT; sensitivity percentage on Day 1 being highest (65%) as compared to other subsequent days including more than 5 days (61%) where as my understanding is that Dengue IgM antibody rise in blood is after 3-5 days and can remain detectable till 90 days.

Reviewer #2: At Table-1. The authors described the demographic data and clinical features of study population. Concerning gender, we noted Male” population but cannot find for Female anywhere. Please revise it.

In table 1, RDT was tested on 671 patients. But according to case categories, total number is only 547. What are the discrepancies? And please check it.

As you mentioned that the sensitives were slightly better beyond 5th day, if possible please show the comparison of sensitivities based on day of illness

Reviewer #3: Yes

--------------------

Conclusions

-Are the conclusions supported by the data presented?

-Are the limitations of analysis clearly described?

-Do the authors discuss how these data can be helpful to advance our understanding of the topic under study?

-Is public health relevance addressed?

Reviewer #1: NS1 Ag detection by RDT beyond 05 days is indicative of lasting viremia and could have been interesting to see its co-relation with viral load copy number by real time RT-PCR. It is interesting finding which could suggest changing viral dynamics. (For Reference: J Clin. Diagn. Res 2016 Apr; 10 (4):1-4) where authors have found NS1Ag positivity maximum on day 2-5 post onset of illness.

Reviewer #2: The authors described that the standard test as RT-PCR. Please kindly mention that is IT either quantitative or conventional Reverse transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)? Moreover, the author should described that it is either one step or two steps? Please also describe the vaidity of this PCR system for cross reactivity of the primers and other flaviviruses and within four serotypes of DENV infection.

In this study, the authors made RT-PCR test Is there any information about the serotype of DENV circulating at this DENV season. It will be interesting to the scientific community and now it is no more new information for the peer group scientific community.

Reviewer #3: No

--------------------

Editorial and Data Presentation Modifications?

Use this section for editorial suggestions as well as relatively minor modifications of existing data that would enhance clarity. If the only modifications needed are minor and/or editorial, you may wish to recommend “Minor Revision” or “Accept”.

Reviewer #1: nil

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: (No Response)

--------------------

Summary and General Comments

Use this section to provide overall comments, discuss strengths/weaknesses of the study, novelty, significance, general execution and scholarship. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. If requesting major revision, please articulate the new experiments that are needed.

Reviewer #1: 1. In the Flow chart Fig 1; Information regarding break up of RT-PCR positive in NS1Ag positive and IgM positive samples would be useful for the reason being IgM positive samples by RDT which were RT-PCR negative (being used as Reference standard) would have resulted inputs regarding any cross reactive antibodies to other closely related Flaviviruses such as West Nile or Japanese encephalitis viruses. This could have been resolved by more specific µ-capture IgM ELISA test in such samples.

2. Whether RT-PCR inhibitors were taken care of in the samples which were found negative by RT-PCR but were found positive by RDT for Dengue antibodies?

3. As seen from S3 table “Performance of NS1 and IgM RDT….”, column “4” on IgM RDT; sensitivity percentage on Day 1 being highest (65%) as compared to other subsequent days including more than 5 days (61%) where as my understanding is that Dengue IgM antibody rise in blood is after 3-5 days and can remain detectable till 90 days.

4. Similarly, NS1 Ag detection by RDT beyond 05 days is indicative of lasting viremia and could have been interesting to see its co-relation with viral load copy number by real time RT-PCR. It is interesting finding which could suggest changing viral dynamics. (For Reference: J Clin. Diagn.Res 2016 Apr; 10 (4):1-4) where authors have found NS1Ag positivity maximum on day 2-5 post onset of illness.

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #3: (No Response)

--------------------

PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: Yes: Ajay Kumar Sahni

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #3: Yes: Kundan Tandel

Figure Files:

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Data Requirements:

Please note that, as a condition of publication, PLOS' data policy requires that you make available all data used to draw the conclusions outlined in your manuscript. Data must be deposited in an appropriate repository, included within the body of the manuscript, or uploaded as supporting information. This includes all numerical values that were used to generate graphs, histograms etc.. For an example see here: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001908#s5.

Reproducibility:

To enhance the reproducibility of your results, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io, where a protocol can be assigned its own identifier (DOI) such that it can be cited independently in the future. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option to publish peer-reviewed clinical study protocols. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols

Attachment

Submitted filename: Reviewer Comments.docx

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011253.r003

Decision Letter 1

Elvina Viennet, Puneet Bhatt

12 Feb 2023

Dear Dr Maillard,

Thank you very much for submitting your manuscript "Early diagnosis of dengue: diagnostic utility of the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo rapid test in Reunion Island" for consideration at PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. As with all papers reviewed by the journal, your manuscript was reviewed by members of the editorial board and by several independent reviewers. The reviewers appreciated the attention to an important topic. Based on the reviews, we are likely to accept this manuscript for publication, providing that you modify the manuscript according to the review recommendations.

Thank you for responding to reviewer's comments.

Please note the few last comments attached.

Thanks so much.

Kind regards,

Elvina Viennet

Please prepare and submit your revised manuscript within 30 days. If you anticipate any delay, please let us know the expected resubmission date by replying to this email.

When you are ready to resubmit, please upload the following:

[1] A letter containing a detailed list of your responses to all review comments, and a description of the changes you have made in the manuscript.

Please note while forming your response, if your article is accepted, you may have the opportunity to make the peer review history publicly available. The record will include editor decision letters (with reviews) and your responses to reviewer comments. If eligible, we will contact you to opt in or out

[2] Two versions of the revised manuscript: one with either highlights or tracked changes denoting where the text has been changed; the other a clean version (uploaded as the manuscript file).

Important additional instructions are given below your reviewer comments.

Thank you again for your submission to our journal. We hope that our editorial process has been constructive so far, and we welcome your feedback at any time. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or comments.

Sincerely,

Elvina Viennet, PhD

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Elvina Viennet

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************

Thank you for responding to reviewer's comments.

Please note the few last comments attached.

Thanks so much.

Kind regards,

Elvina Viennet

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Key Review Criteria Required for Acceptance?

As you describe the new analyses required for acceptance, please consider the following:

Methods

-Are the objectives of the study clearly articulated with a clear testable hypothesis stated?

-Is the study design appropriate to address the stated objectives?

-Is the population clearly described and appropriate for the hypothesis being tested?

-Is the sample size sufficient to ensure adequate power to address the hypothesis being tested?

-Were correct statistical analysis used to support conclusions?

-Are there concerns about ethical or regulatory requirements being met?

Reviewer #1: All queries resolved. Accept

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #4: (No Response)

--------------------

Results

-Does the analysis presented match the analysis plan?

-Are the results clearly and completely presented?

-Are the figures (Tables, Images) of sufficient quality for clarity?

Reviewer #1: All queries resolved. Accept

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #4: (No Response)

--------------------

Conclusions

-Are the conclusions supported by the data presented?

-Are the limitations of analysis clearly described?

-Do the authors discuss how these data can be helpful to advance our understanding of the topic under study?

-Is public health relevance addressed?

Reviewer #1: All queries resolved. Accept

Reviewer #2: (No Response)

Reviewer #4: (No Response)

--------------------

Editorial and Data Presentation Modifications?

Use this section for editorial suggestions as well as relatively minor modifications of existing data that would enhance clarity. If the only modifications needed are minor and/or editorial, you may wish to recommend “Minor Revision” or “Accept”.

Reviewer #1: All queries resolved. Accept

Reviewer #2: Accept

Reviewer #4: (No Response)

--------------------

Summary and General Comments

Use this section to provide overall comments, discuss strengths/weaknesses of the study, novelty, significance, general execution and scholarship. You may also include additional comments for the author, including concerns about dual publication, research ethics, or publication ethics. If requesting major revision, please articulate the new experiments that are needed.

Reviewer #1: All queries resolved. Accept

Reviewer #2: In revision, the manuscript was improved. i have no more comments. I accepted as present version.

Reviewer #4: (No Response)

--------------------

PLOS authors have the option to publish the peer review history of their article (what does this mean?). If published, this will include your full peer review and any attached files.

If you choose “no”, your identity will remain anonymous but your review may still be made public.

Do you want your identity to be public for this peer review? For information about this choice, including consent withdrawal, please see our Privacy Policy.

Reviewer #1: Yes: Ajay Kumar Sahni

Reviewer #2: No

Reviewer #4: No

Figure Files:

While revising your submission, please upload your figure files to the Preflight Analysis and Conversion Engine (PACE) digital diagnostic tool, https://pacev2.apexcovantage.com. PACE helps ensure that figures meet PLOS requirements. To use PACE, you must first register as a user. Then, login and navigate to the UPLOAD tab, where you will find detailed instructions on how to use the tool. If you encounter any issues or have any questions when using PACE, please email us at figures@plos.org.

Data Requirements:

Please note that, as a condition of publication, PLOS' data policy requires that you make available all data used to draw the conclusions outlined in your manuscript. Data must be deposited in an appropriate repository, included within the body of the manuscript, or uploaded as supporting information. This includes all numerical values that were used to generate graphs, histograms etc.. For an example see here: http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001908#s5.

Reproducibility:

To enhance the reproducibility of your results, we recommend that you deposit your laboratory protocols in protocols.io, where a protocol can be assigned its own identifier (DOI) such that it can be cited independently in the future. Additionally, PLOS ONE offers an option to publish peer-reviewed clinical study protocols. Read more information on sharing protocols at https://plos.org/protocols?utm_medium=editorial-email&utm_source=authorletters&utm_campaign=protocols

References

Please review your reference list to ensure that it is complete and correct. If you have cited papers that have been retracted, please include the rationale for doing so in the manuscript text, or remove these references and replace them with relevant current references. Any changes to the reference list should be mentioned in the rebuttal letter that accompanies your revised manuscript. If you need to cite a retracted article, indicate the article's retracted status in the References list and also include a citation and full reference for the retraction notice.

Attachment

Submitted filename: Early diagnosis of dengue.docx

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011253.r005

Decision Letter 2

Elvina Viennet, Puneet Bhatt

20 Mar 2023

Dear Dr Maillard,

We are pleased to inform you that your manuscript 'Early diagnosis of dengue: diagnostic utility of the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo rapid test in Reunion Island' has been provisionally accepted for publication in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Before your manuscript can be formally accepted you will need to complete some formatting changes, which you will receive in a follow up email. A member of our team will be in touch with a set of requests.

Please note that your manuscript will not be scheduled for publication until you have made the required changes, so a swift response is appreciated.

IMPORTANT: The editorial review process is now complete. PLOS will only permit corrections to spelling, formatting or significant scientific errors from this point onwards. Requests for major changes, or any which affect the scientific understanding of your work, will cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript.

Should you, your institution's press office or the journal office choose to press release your paper, you will automatically be opted out of early publication. We ask that you notify us now if you or your institution is planning to press release the article. All press must be co-ordinated with PLOS.

Thank you again for supporting Open Access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Best regards,

Puneet Bhatt, MD

Guest Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Elvina Viennet

Section Editor

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

***********************************************************

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011253.r006

Acceptance letter

Elvina Viennet, Puneet Bhatt

27 Mar 2023

Dear Dr Maillard,

We are delighted to inform you that your manuscript, "Early diagnosis of dengue: diagnostic utility of the SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo rapid test in Reunion Island," has been formally accepted for publication in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

We have now passed your article onto the PLOS Production Department who will complete the rest of the publication process. All authors will receive a confirmation email upon publication.

The corresponding author will soon be receiving a typeset proof for review, to ensure errors have not been introduced during production. Please review the PDF proof of your manuscript carefully, as this is the last chance to correct any scientific or type-setting errors. Please note that major changes, or those which affect the scientific understanding of the work, will likely cause delays to the publication date of your manuscript. Note: Proofs for Front Matter articles (Editorial, Viewpoint, Symposium, Review, etc...) are generated on a different schedule and may not be made available as quickly.

Soon after your final files are uploaded, the early version of your manuscript will be published online unless you opted out of this process. The date of the early version will be your article's publication date. The final article will be published to the same URL, and all versions of the paper will be accessible to readers.

Thank you again for supporting open-access publishing; we are looking forward to publishing your work in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Best regards,

Shaden Kamhawi

co-Editor-in-Chief

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Paul Brindley

co-Editor-in-Chief

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Associated Data

    This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

    Supplementary Materials

    S1 Table. STARD (Standard for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy) 2015 checklist.

    (DOCX)

    S2 Table. Performance of RDT with duration from illness onset ≤ 5 days vs > 5 days, Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

    Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

    (DOCX)

    S3 Table. Performance of NS1 and IgM RDT depending on the duration from illness onset, Reunion, 2019 (N = 547).

    Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; NS1 Ag: non-structural 1 antigen; IgM: immunoglobulin M; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

    (DOCX)

    S4 Table. Performance of IgG RDT with duration from illness onset ≤ 5 days vs > 5 days, Reunion, 2019 (N = 547).

    Legend: RDT: rapid diagnostic test; IgG: immunoglobulin G; PLR: positive likelihood ratio; NLR: negative likelihood ratio.

    (DOCX)

    S5 Table. Post-test probabilities and their 95% confidence interval for the RDT according to pre-test probability of dengue, Reunion, 2019 (N = 671).

    Legend: CI: confidence interval.

    (DOCX)

    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Reviewer Comments.docx

    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Response to reviewers.docx

    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Early diagnosis of dengue.docx

    Attachment

    Submitted filename: Response to reviewers.docx

    Data Availability Statement

    All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files. The data underlying the results presented in the study are available from the INSERM CIC1410 (cic@chu-reunion.fr).


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