Xenotropic murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus (XMRV) and other related MLVs have been described with chronic fatigue syndrome and certain types of prostate cancer. In addition, prevalence rates as high as 7% have been reported in blood donors, raising the risk of transfusion-related transmission. Several laboratories have utilized microneutralization assays ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Yellow Fever virus (YFV) is an important arboviral pathogen in much of sub-Saharan Africa and the tropical Americas. It is the prototype member of the genus Flavivirus and is transmitted primarily by Aedes (Stegomyia) mosquitoes. The incidence of human infections in endemic areas has risen in recent years. ...

BACKGROUND: Transmission dynamics modeling provides a practical method for virtual evaluation of the impact of public health interventions in response to prospective influenza pandemics and also may help determine the relative contribution of different modes of transmission to overall infection rates. Accurate estimates of longevity for all forms of viral ...

AimsTo assess the possible role of virus infection in patients with unexplained anterior uveitis (AU).MethodsIntraocular fluid and plasma samples of 30 HIV-negative AU patients who were unresponsive or poorly responsive to topical steroid therapy were analyzed for nucleic acid of cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and varicella zoster virus ...

Though cell-mediated immunity (CMI) against varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is critical for prevention of the onset of herpes zoster (HZ), clinicians currently lack a simplified procedure to monitor CMI. We have recently developed an assay, called the IFN-γ release assay, and showed that it is a simple and reliable method to ...

Almost five decades after their first application in diagnostics, dried blood spot (DBS) cards remain to be of key interest in many research areas and clinical applications. The advantages of sample stability during transport and storage, can now be combined with the high sensitivity of novel diagnostic techniques for the ...

The production of virus by infected cells is an essential process for the spread and persistence of viral diseases, the effectiveness of live-viral vaccines, and the manufacture of viruses for diverse applications. Yet despite its importance, methods to precisely measure virus production from cells are lacking. Most methods test infected-cell ...

Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) is an enveloped, double-stranded DNA virus that has been used with modification as an oncolytic virus against a number of tumor types. Modifications that make HSV-1 replication--conditional, i.e., selectively divide in replicating cells make it fulfill a prerequisite criteria for oncolytic viruses. Other appealing features of ...

Please cite this paper as: Gordy JT et al. (2011) Surveillance of feral cats for influenza A virus in North Central Florida. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses DOI: 10.1111/j.1750-2659.2011.00325.x. Background  Transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza and the recent pandemic H1N1 viruses to domestic cats and other felids creates concern because ...

Southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus (SRBSDV) causes one of the most serious viral diseases of rice in Southeast Asia. A reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for detection of SRBSDV using total RNA extracted from rice tissues and the insect pest, white-backed planthopper. The assay was based ...

Current hepatitis E virus (HEV) negative sense RNA detection assays have drawback of false positivity. cDNA synthesis using tag-based primer and Superscript RT-III followed by exonuclease I treatment increased the specificity. Assay could detect as low as 10 copies of negative sense RNA and could be used in detecting low ...

The aim of this study was to optimise a two-tube reverse transcription triplex quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) combining amplification of two loci with an internal amplification control (IAC) for detection and quantitation of hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA and to validate its performance on a pool of biological samples. ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: From April 2010 to January 2011, a severe new viral disease had devastated most duck-farming regions in China. This disease affected not only laying ducks but also meat ducks, causing huge economic losses for the poultry industry. The objective of this study is to develop a one-step reverse ...

PURPOSE: To evaluate the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings of novel influenza virus (n-IFV) pneumonia and compare them with the findings for seasonal (s-IFV) pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 29 cases of pure IFV pneumonia that occurred between 1990 and 2010. We evaluated the existence, extent, and patterns of ...

A rapid method for detection, discrimination and quantification of wheat and barley strains of wheat dwarf virus (WDV) was successfully developed. The sensitivity of quantification of the wheat and barley strains of WDV ranged from an average of 1.2 × 10(7)-1.2 × 10(2) and from an average of 1.4 × 10(7)-1.4 × 10(4) copies of viral genome, respectively. ...

Papaya meleira virus (PMeV) is the causal agent of papaya sticky disease. This study describes two methods for molecular diagnosis of PMeV using conventional and real-time PCR. These methods were shown to be more efficient than current methods of viral detection using extraction of PMeV dsRNA and observation of symptoms ...

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have been responsible for some of the most explosive epidemics of emerging infectious diseases over the past decade. Their impact on both human and livestock populations has been dramatic. The early detection either through surveillance or diagnosis of virus will be a critical feature in responding and ...

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for the rapid detection of serotype 1 Marek's disease virus (MDV) was developed. The method used a set of three pairs of primers to amplify the MEQ gene for detecting serotype 1 MDV. The MDV LAMP method did not cross-react with serotype 2 and ...

BACKGROUND: The rapid influenza antigen test (RIAT) has been questioned because of its poor sensitivity. Clinicians are confused as to what diagnostic help it may provide. RIAT was reappraised by other laboratory confirmatory tests for its diagnostic capacity. METHODS: Records of RIAT, RT-PCR and virus culture, performed for upper respiratory ...

Background. The objectives of this study were to determine whether pilgrim attendance at the Hajj was associated with an increased risk of acquiring influenza, and other respiratory viruses, and to evaluate the compliance of pilgrims with influenza vaccination and other recommended preventive measures. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among ...

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic insect transmitted virus endemic to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Infection causes abortions and high mortality in newborn ruminants. The overall human infection rate is <1%; however, fatality rates in those with severe clinical disease have been reported as high as 29%. ...

The porcine boca-like virus (Pbo-likeV) was recently discovered in Swedish pigs with post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). In this study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay was developed for rapid, specific and sensitive detection of Pbo-likeV. A set of four primers specific for six regions of Pbo-likeV VP1/2 genes was ...

A real-time PCR assay based on the TaqMan chemistry was developed for reliable detection and quantitation of the squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) in melon and squash plants. This method was highly specific to SLCV and it was about one thousand times more sensitive than the conventional PCR method. The ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In a globalized word, prevention of infectious diseases is a major challenge. Rapid detection of viable virus particles in water and other environmental samples is essential to public health risk assessment, homeland security and environmental protection. Current virus detection methods, especially assessing viral infectivity, are complex and time-consuming, ...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated lymphomas are a known risk for immunosuppressed individuals. Non-clinical methods to determine the potential of new immunomodulatory compounds to produce EBV-associated lymphomas (hazard identification) have not been developed. Since lymphocryptovirus (LCV) in non-human primates (NHP) has similar characteristics to EBV in humans, a Roundtable meeting was held ...

Ninety-one fig and 185 date samples were analyzed by RT real time PCR for the presence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) RNA. Two batches of dates tested positive and HAV RNA detected was genotyped as IA. These findings warrant further development of methods applicable to food exported from HAV endemic ...

The etiology of encephalitis and meningitis, serious diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), in most cases remains unknown. The importance of establishing a diagnosis however, becomes even more important as advances are made in effective therapy. Molecular methods of detection, in particular, PCR, are being used routinely and have ...

Growing African swine fever virus (ASFV) isolates obtained mainly from the field, but also engineered in the laboratory, is a critical step for diagnosis, titration, or virus infection studies. This unit describes a set of methods and protocols to produce and titrate any ASFV strain in cell cultures. The procedures ...

A recent report has indicated that proteins and genes of simian virus 5 (SV5) are detected in a human gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cell line, which is widely provided for oncology, immunology, and microbiology research. However, the production of infective virions has not been determined in this cell line. In this ...

SUMMARYThe introduction and rapid spread of West Nile virus (WNV) into new areas such as the American continent, associated also with the severity of the disease in humans and equids has increased concerns regarding the need to better prevent and control future WNV incursions. WNV outbreaks in equids usually occur ...

Type B influenza virus is one of the major epidemic strains and responsible for considerable mortality and morbidity. Rapidly and accurately identifying different influenza B virus lineages, i.e., B/Yamagata (B/Y) and B/Victoria (B/V), is desirable during the flu season. However, the available rapid techniques lack sensitivity, and the usual methods ...

The rapid and sensitive detection and characterization of human viruses and bacteriophage is extremely important in a variety of fields, such as medical diagnostics, immunology and vaccine research, and environmental contamination and quality control. We introduce an optical detection scheme for real-time and label-free detection of human viruses and bacteriophage ...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a vital instrument in nanobiotechnology. In this study, we developed a method that enables AFM to simultaneously measure specific unbinding force and map the viral glycoprotein at the single virus particle level. The average diameter of virus particles from AFM images and the specificity between ...

Improved diagnostic tools for rapid detection, quantitation, and subgrouping of human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are needed to aid the development and evaluation of novel intervention strategies. A quantitative real-time RT-PCR using specific locked nucleic acid (LNA) probes was developed to identify RSV and to distinguish RSV subgroups A and ...

Introduction: Diagnostic tests for respiratory viral infections have traditionally been performed on nasopharyngeal swabs or washings. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is rapid, sensitive and specific for viral diagnosis but is rarely applied to sputum samples. Thus, we evaluated the diagnostic yield of RT-PCR for nine viruses using NTS ...

Evidence available to date indicates that dengue viruses 1, 2, and 3 could be among the causes of acute fever in eastern Africa. Recently, four reports on dengue infection in travelers and residents have raised concerns over the occurrence of dengue fever in mainland Tanzania and in Zanzibar. The objective ...

Viruses represent a continual threat to humans through a number of mechanisms, which include disease, bioterrorism, and destruction of both plant and animal food resources. Many contemporary techniques used for the detection of viruses and viral infections suffer from limitations such as the need for extensive sample preparation or the ...

The recent association of certain Influenza A subtypes with clinically relevant phenotypes has led to the increasing importance of subtyping by clinical virology laboratories. To provide clinical laboratories with a definitive immunofluorescence assay for the subtyping of influenza A virus isolates, we generated a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against ...

ABSTRACT: A reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay was developed for foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) RNA. The amplification could be finished in 45 min under isothermal condition at 64 0C by employing a set of four primers targeting FMDV 2B. The assay showed higher sensitivity than RT-PCR. No cross ...

Sindbis virus (SINV) is an arthropod-borne alphavirus found widely in Eurasia, Africa and Oceania. Clinical SINV infection, characterized by rash andarthritis, is reported primarily in Northern Europe. The laboratory diagnosis of SINV infection is based currently on serology. A one-step TaqMan(®) real-time RT-PCR assay was developed for the detection of ...

This study illustrates the effect of virus detection methods on estimates of risks of infection of biosolids-associated viruses for occupational workers and residential population during a hypothetical exposure of biosolids. Five gastroenteritis-associated human enteric viruses-enteroviruses (echovirus-12, enteroviruse types 68-71), adenoviruses, rotaviruses, and noroviruses genotype-I-were considered to represent human enteric viruses ...

A dysregulated immune response and functional immunosuppression have been considered the major mechanisms of the bacterial sepsis syndrome. More recently, the loss of endothelial barrier function and resultant microvascular leak have been found to be a key determinant of the pathogenesis of bacterial sepsis. Whether a similar paradigm applies to ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a pathogen of emerging concern in industrialized countries. The consumption of wild boar meat has been identified as one risk factor for autochthonous HEV infections. Only limited information is available about thermal stability of HEV, mainly due to the lack of rapid and ...

BACKGROUND: Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease recently identified to be caused by a novel bunyavirus (SFTSV). The clinical diagnosis is urgently needed to differentiate the disease from other infections. OBJECTIVE: To develop a sensitive quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for rapid detection of SFTSV viral ...

The plaque assay is a standard technique for measuring influenza virus infectivity and inhibition of virus replication. Counting plaque numbers and quantifying virus infection of cells in multiwell plates quickly, accurately and automatically remain a challenge. Visual inspection relies upon experience, is subjective, often time consuming, and has less reproducibility ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Infection risks vary among individuals and between populations. Here we present information on the seroprevalence of 13 common infectious agents in a San Antonio-based sample of Mexican Americans. Mexican Americans represent the largest and most rapidly growing minority population in the U.S., and they are also considered a ...

Influenza virus is a major cause of disease worldwide. The accurate detection and further subtyping of influenza A viruses are important for epidemiologic surveillance, and subsequent comprehensive characterization of circulating influenza viruses is essential for the selection of an optimal vaccine composition. ResPlex III is a new multiplex reverse transcriptase ...

The role of environmental reservoirs in avian influenza virus (AIV) transmission has been investigated during AIV-associated outbreaks. To date, no method has been defined for detection of AIV from mud samples. A procedure using elution and polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentration steps was designed to detect AIV by RT-PCR from 42g ...

Generation and isolation of recombinant herpesviruses by traditional homologous recombination methods can be a tedious, time-consuming process. Therefore, a novel stoplight recombination selection method was developed that facilitated rapid identification and purification of recombinant viruses expressing fusions of immunological epitopes with EGFP. This "traffic-light" approach provided a visual indication of ...

Clin Microbiol Infect ABSTRACT: The emergence of pandemic A(H1N1) 2009 influenza showed the importance of rapid assessment of the degree of immunity in the population, the rate of asymptomatic infection, the spread of infection in households, effects of control measures, and ability of candidate vaccines to produce a response in ...