Specific detection of Nipah virus using real-time RT-PCR (TaqMan).

Nipah and Hendra viruses belong to the novel Henipavirus genus of the Paramyxoviridae family. Its zoonotic circulation in bats and recent emergence in Malaysia with fatal consequences for humans that were in close contact with infected pigs, has made the reinforcement of epidemiological and clinical surveillance systems a priority. In this study, TaqMan RT-PCR of the Nipah nucleoprotein has been developed so that Nipah virus RNA in field specimens or laboratory material can be characterized rapidly and specifically and quantitated.