The rapid detection of dengue infection in mosquito vectors is important for early
warning to forestall an outbreak. Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR)
provides a rapid method for dengue detect ion in man and mosqui toes . An RT-PCR ki t
developed by the Medical Entomology Unit, Institute for Medical Research to detect dengue
infect ion in mosqui toes , was tes ted for i t s shel f l i fe at 3 s torage temperatures : room
temperature, refrigerator and freezer. Test kits were tested once every 3 days for kits stored
at room temperature, and once every week for those stored at refrigerator and freezer
temperatures. The results showed that the test kit could only be stored above its recommended
storage temperature of -20ºC for not more than 3 days. DNA 100bp markers in the kits appeared
to be stable at the tested temperatures and were usable up to the 20th day when stored at 2ºC and below.