UPSC 2016 CDS I GK Paper

Dengue virus is known to cause low platelet count in the blood of a patient by interfering in the process of platelet production in bone marrow, infecting endothelial cells and binding with platelets. Dengue virus, the main cause of dengue fever, induces bone marrow suppression. Since bone marrow is the manufacturing centre of blood cells, its suppression causes deficiency of blood cells, leading to low platelet count. Studies suggest that dengue virus can even bind to platelets of human blood in the presence of virus-specific antibody