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Researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) are now able to detect H1N1 influenza virus infection in only 40 minutes and with one hundred times the sensitivity of conventional methods, according to a study published in Asian Scientist.
In the online journal PloS One, Toshihisa Ishikawa and colleagues describe a new diagnostic technique called the RT-SmartAmp assay, which combines both reverse transcriptase (RT) and isothermal DNA amplification reactions in one step, doing away with the need for RNA extraction and PCR reaction.
The researchers adapted the RT-SmartAmp technique using a fluorescent primer to specifically detect the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1), without cross-reacting with the seasonal A(H1N1), A(H3N2), or B-type (Victoria) viruses.
In the 2009 winter season, 16 percent of the Japanese population was infected with the H1N1 virus, which also caused 18,000 deaths worldwide. During that period, the researchers tested the RT-SmartAmp method on patients in various Japanese hospitals who were suspected to have H1N1 infections.
Of a total of 255 clinical samples, 140 (54.9 percent) were identified as 2009 pdm A(H1N1)-positive by RT-SmartAmp, compared to only 110 (43.1 percent) detected by standard diagnostic tests. In 72.8 percent of all infection-positive cases, the assay detected the virus within 24 hours of fever onset.
Taken together, these results set a new standard for infection diagnosis speed, providing an effective tool for rapidly detecting sub-types of the H5N1 virus and oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses, and promising support in the battle to prevent global pandemic infection.
Source: Asian Scientist
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