EFFECT OF INCUBATION TEMPERATURE ON DENGUE-2 VIRAL ANTIGEN PRODUCTION AND VIRAL RNA SYNTHESIS IN INFECTED Aedes albopictus CLONE C6/36 CELL LINE

Increase in the incubation temperature of infected Aedes albopictus clone C6/36 cells from its optimal growth temperature of 28°C to 32 and 37°C showed a concomitant rise in the production of dengue virus type 2 antigen and genomic RNA. The quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using an internal standard as a measuring tool for the viral genomic RNA showed that RNA production was higher in the cells and in the extracellular fluid from the cultures incubated at 32 and 37°C than at 28°C. The presence of viral antigen and viral genomic RNA was also detected 1-2 days earlier in the cultures incubated at elevated temperatures.