PetriKey

Virus

Dengue virus

Aedes-borne flavivirus, breakbone fever

DEN-gay VY-rus

flavivirusarbovirusmosquito-borneaedeshemorrhagicrna-virus

High-yield clue

Aedes-transmitted flavivirus with four serotypes (DENV 1-4); a prior infection with one serotype can worsen a later infection through antibody-dependent enhancement.

Overview

An enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA flavivirus (genus Orthoflavivirus) spread by Aedes mosquitoes, studied as the classic four-serotype arbovirus with antibody-dependent enhancement on second infection.

Classification

  • Flaviviridae
  • Genus Orthoflavivirus
  • Positive-sense ssRNA
  • Enveloped
  • Icosahedral capsid

Lab & identification clues

  • NS1 antigen detection vocabulary
  • Serotype-specific (DENV 1-4) framing
  • Thrombocytopenia study association

Associations

  • Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus vector
  • 'Breakbone fever' severe joint and muscle pain vocabulary
  • Antibody-dependent enhancement on secondary infection
  • Tropical and subtropical epidemiology

Commonly confused with

  • Chikungunya virus
  • Zika virus

Your notes

Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.

OpenStax: Microbiology 2e organism classification foundationssourceNCBI Bookshelf: Medical Microbiology organism chapterssourceCDC: CDC disease and public-health topic pagessource