Detection of oseltamivir-resistant zoonotic and animal influenza A viruses using the rapid influenza antiviral resistance test.

Mutations in the influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) that cause reduced susceptibility to the NA inhibitor (NAI) oseltamivir may occur naturally or following antiviral treatment. Currently, detection uses either a traditional NA inhibition assay or gene sequencing to identify known markers associated with reduced inhibition by oseltamivir. Both methods are laborious and require trained personnel.

A point-of-care diagnostic for differentiating Ebola from endemic febrile diseases.

Hemorrhagic fever outbreaks such as Ebola are difficult to detect and control because of the lack of low-cost, easily deployable diagnostics and because initial clinical symptoms mimic other endemic diseases such as malaria. Current molecular diagnostic methods such as polymerase chain reaction require trained personnel and laboratory infrastructure, hindering diagnostics at the point of need. Although rapid tests such as lateral flow can be broadly deployed, they are typically not well-suited for differentiating among multiple diseases presenting with similar symptoms.

Monitoring influenza virus susceptibility to oseltamivir using a new rapid assay, iART.

A new rapid assay for detecting oseltamivir resistance in influenza virus, iART, was used to test 149 clinical specimens. Results were obtained for 132, with iART indicating 41 as 'resistant'. For these, sequence analysis found known and suspected markers of oseltamivir resistance, while no such markers were detected for the remaining 91 samples.

Real-time pathogen monitoring during enrichment: a novel nanotechnology-based approach to food safety testing.

We describe a new approach for the real-time detection and identification of pathogens in food and environmental samples undergoing culture. Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) nanoparticles are combined with a novel homogeneous immunoassay to allow sensitive detection of pathogens in complex samples such as stomached food without the need for wash steps or extensive sample preparation. SERS-labeled immunoassay reagents are present in the cultural enrichment vessel, and the signal is monitored real-time through the wall of the vessel while culture is ongoing.

Development of a multiple gas analyzer using cavity ringdown spectroscopy for use in advanced fire detection.

A portable cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) apparatus was used to detect effluents from small test fires in the Fire Emulator/Detector Evaluator (FE/DE) and a small room in the Building Fire and Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The output from two lasers is combined to detect four combustion gases, CO, CO(2), HCN, and C(2)H(2), near simultaneously using CRDS. The goal of this work was to demonstrate the feasibility of using a CRDS sensor as a fire detector.

Deamidation: Differentiation of aspartyl from isoaspartyl products in peptides by electron capture dissociation.

Deamidation of asparaginyl and isomerization of aspartyl residues in proteins proceed through a succinimide intermediate producing a mixture of aspartyl and isoaspartyl residues. Isoaspartic acid is an isomer of aspartic acid with the C(beta) incorporated into the backbone, thus increasing the length of the protein backbone by one methylene unit. This post-translation modification is suspected to contribute to the aging of proteins and to protein folding disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, so that differentiating the two isomers becomes important.