Finding the right tests…
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Finding the right tests…
ELISA
Dengue ELISA IgM looks for the antibody your immune system raises first against dengue virus, using a lab-based ELISA plate test. It typically turns positive around day 4 to 5 of fever and stays detectable for roughly three months afterward, which is why it's the antibody test doctors reach for once a dengue illness is past the first few days, when NS1 antigen starts to drop off. A positive result points to a probable recent dengue infection, but your doctor reads it together with NS1 and the clinical picture, since IgM can occasionally cross-react with related viruses like Zika.
This ELISA test detects IgM antibody in a blood sample on a laboratory plate reader, reported as reactive, non-reactive, or borderline, usually with an index value. It becomes reliably positive from about the first week of fever and can stay positive for around three months, so timing your sample against how many days of fever you've had helps your doctor read the result correctly. It's usually interpreted alongside NS1 and IgG from the same blood draw.
IgM is the earlier of the two dengue antibodies. Research tracking primary dengue infections shows it becomes detectable from around day 3 to 5 of illness and climbs quickly, reaching close to 100% positivity by around day 8, then it fades over the following weeks to months. That timing puts it right after the window where NS1 antigen testing works best, which is why the two are often ordered together in the first week of fever.
A positive dengue IgM is read as a probable recent infection, but it is not absolute proof on its own. IgM antibodies raised against dengue can cross-react with other viruses in the same family, including Zika and Japanese encephalitis, so results in someone with a compatible travel history or symptoms still need clinical correlation. In a second dengue infection, IgM can also rise more slowly and to a lower level than in a first infection, because the immune system's IgG response dominates instead, one reason doctors read IgM alongside IgG and NS1 rather than in isolation.
Because this version runs on a laboratory ELISA plate rather than a rapid card, it generally offers more consistent, quantifiable results than point-of-care strip tests.
It typically becomes detectable from around day 4 to 5 of fever and climbs quickly after that, reaching close to full positivity by around day 8 of illness in a first infection.
It points to a probable recent infection but is read alongside NS1 results and your symptoms, since IgM can occasionally cross-react with related viruses such as Zika.
NS1 clears from the blood within the first one to two weeks, while IgM appears a bit later and lasts longer, so this pattern often just reflects where you are in the timeline of illness.
It generally stays detectable for around three months after infection before it fades, so a positive result some weeks after an illness can still reflect that earlier infection.
This page is general information about the test, not medical advice. Your own report's reference ranges apply — please discuss your results with your doctor.
It can be. In someone who has had dengue before, IgG rises fast and can outpace the IgM response, which is why doctors read IgM together with IgG rather than alone.
This is specifically the ELISA-format version, run on a laboratory plate reader. If you're not sure which version your doctor wants, ask your doctor or the centre before booking.
A standard blood sample is drawn from a vein, the same way as for the other dengue and antibody tests.