Point-of-care thrombocyte function testing using multiple-electrode aggregometry in dengue patients: an explorative study

BACKGROUND: Dengue virus (DENV) causes the hospitalisation of an estimated 500,000 people every year. Outbreaks can severely stress healthcare systems, especially in rural settings. It is difficult to discriminate patients who need to be hospitalized from those that do not. Earlier work identified thrombocyte count and subsequent function as a promising prognostic marker of DENV severity. Herein, we investigated the potential of quantitative thrombocyte function tests in those admitted in the very early phase of acute DENV infections, using Multiplate™ multiple-electrode aggregometry to explore its potential in triage. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study all patients aged ≥13 admitted to Universitas Airlangga Hospital in Surabaya, Indonesia with a fever (≥38 °C) between 25 January and 1 August 2018 and with a clinical suspicion of DENV, were eligible for inclusion. Exclusion criteria were a thrombocyte count below 100 × 109/L and the use of any medication with a known anticoagulant effect, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetyl salicylic acid. Clinical data was collected and blood was taken on admission, day 1 and day 7. Samples were tested for acute DENV, using Panbio NS1 ELISA. Platelet aggregation using ADP-, TRAP- and COL-test were presented as Area Under the aggregation Curve (AUC). Significance was tested between DENV+, probably DENV, fever of another origin, and healthy controls (HC). RESULTS: A total of 59 patients (DENV+ n = 10, DENV probable n = 25, fever other origin n = 24) and 20 HC were included. We found a significantly lower thrombocyte aggregation in the DENV+ group, compared with both HCs and the fever of another origin group (p < .001). Low ADP AUC values on baseline correlated to a longer hospital stay in DENV+ and probable DENV cases. CONCLUSION: Thrombocyte aggregation induced by Adenosine diphosphate, Collagen and Thrombin receptor activating peptide-6 is impaired in human DENV cases, compared with healthy controls and other causes of fever. This explorative study provides insights to thrombocyte function in DENV patients and could potentially serve as a future marker in DENV disease.