Manifestaciones Clínicas y Distribución Geográfica de los Serotipos del Dengue en el Perú - Año 2001

SUMMARY Objectives: To determine the geographic distribution of the serotypes of dengue virus in Peru in 2001 and to identify the clinical features associated to these serotypes from samples assessed at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Lima, Peru. Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study included 236 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of dengue, obtained by viral isolation in the Arbovirus and Rickettsias Laboratory during 2001. The clinical data of these patients was obtained from the epidemilogical formats sent by the health care services to the NIH. Results: The 4 dengue serotypes circulated in Peru during 2001 (DEN-3 and DEN-4 were recently identificated). Most of the patients (76,7%) reported that they did not have previous dengue infections.The patients with infections by DEN-2 serotype had more symptoms and signs than the patients with DEN-1 and DEN-3.. Conclusions: The 4 dengue serotypes are currently circulating in Peru. DEN-2 serotype would be responsible of more severe clinical presentations.