%0 Journal Article %T Virological surveillance of dengue in Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, French West Indies, using blood samples on filter paper. %+ Centre National de Référence pour les Arbovirus - Laboratoire de Virologie [Cayenne, Guyane française] (CNR - laboratoire associé) %+ Cellule Interrégionale d'Epidémiologie Antilles-Guyane %+ Institut Pasteur de la Guyane %+ Laboratoire d'Analyses Médicales %+ Laboratoire d'Analyses Médicales %A Matheus, Séverine %A Chappert, Jean-Loup %A Cassadou, Sylvie %A Berger, Franck %A Labeau, Bhetty %A Bremand, Laetitia %A Winicki, Alain %A Huc-Anais, Patricia %A Quénel, Philippe %A Dussart, Philippe %Z This study was supported by the Conseil Régional de la Guyane (agreement no. 60/2007/CR). The laboratory of virology, as National Reference Center, receives financial support from Institut Pasteur and Institut de Veille Sanitaire. %< avec comité de lecture %@ 0002-9637 %J American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene %I American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene %V 86 %N 1 %P 159-65 %8 2012-01 %D 2012 %R 10.4269/ajtmh.2012.11-0475 %M 22232467 %Z Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologieJournal articles %X To strengthen active dengue surveillance in Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy, two French Caribbean islands, we evaluated the epidemiological usefulness of collecting blood samples from NS1-positive dengue patients on filter paper to identify the dengue serotypes circulating in these regions during a 27-month period. This approach allowed dengue serotypes to be identified by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in 90.1% of the total set of 666 samples analyzed and, in 95.5% of the samples collected during the acute phase of the disease. This prospective virological surveillance using blood samples absorbed onto filter paper, which were stored at 4°C and shipped at ambient temperature to a specialized laboratory for analysis, allowed us to avoid the logistic and financial costs associated with shipping frozen venous blood samples. This surveillance system offers a low-cost alternative for reinforcing dengue prevention in areas where specialized laboratories do not exist, notably by facilitating the early detection of potentially new dengue serotypes. %G English %L pasteur-00786302 %U https://riip.hal.science/pasteur-00786302 %~ RIIP %~ SANTE_PUB_INSERM %~ RIIP_GUYANE %~ PARTENARIATS-APP