Aims: Dengue fever, a mosquito-borne viral disease, poses a growing public health threat, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions, including Bangladesh.However, comprehensive studies examining the socio-demographic, clinical, haematological, and immune response profiles of dengue patients in Bangladesh are limited.This study aimed to investigate the haematological, biochemical, and innate immune gene expression profiles of dengue patients and their association with socio-demographic characteristics and disease severity compared to healthy controls.Methodology and results: Blood and serum samples were collected from 25 dengue-infected patients and 20 healthy controls.Haematological parameters and innate immune gene expression were analyzed.Clinical symptoms were documented, and qRT-PCR was used to measure the expression of key immune genes.Dengue was more prevalent in males (64%), with a median age of 29 years.Most patients reported having recently travelled from urban regions.Common symptoms included fever, headache, and thrombocytopenia.Compared to controls, dengue patients showed significant leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, neutrophilia, lymphocytosis, monocytosis, and altered hematocrit levels.Additionally, elevated serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) and serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) levels were observed, especially in patients in the critical phase.Significant upregulation of innate immune genes, including TLR-3, IFN-, IL-6, IL-8, and RIG-I, was observed in all dengue patients, with higher expression levels in those in the critical phase.Conclusion, significance and impact of study: These findings indicate a strong innate immune response associated with disease severity.The study highlights the role of demographic factors, travel history, and immune responses in dengue pathogenesis, offering insights that may support targeted interventions and improved management strategies for dengue fever in Bangladesh.
Afsana et al. (Sun,) studied this question.