Background: In March 2005 a Chikungunya fever outbreak began on the islands of the Indian Ocean. The number of cases of this disease dramatically rose amongst these islands before affecting over a million people in India. Travellers to these regions have returned to the UK with the disease leading to a greater than 15-fold increase in the annual number of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) sero-positive samples in 2006.
Objectives: A real-time RT-PCR test was developed for CHIKV and designed to detect currently circulating strains of virus as well as other genotypes. Its sensitivity was compared with an existing standard RT-PCR assay and a previously published real-time assay.
Study Design: A real-time RT-PCR assay was optimised and evaluated using a panel of 55 clinical serum samples and a synthetic RNA transcript as a positive control. Nucleotide sequencing of part of the E1 gene of CHIKV was used to investigate the relatedness of the samples.
Results: The real-time RT-PCR was 10-fold more sensitive than a conventional block-based RT-PCR and could detect as low as 20 copies of RNA transcript. The assay also had 10-fold improved sensitivity in detecting the outbreak strain of virus when compared to another published TaqMan assay. Analysis of sequences from patients that had travelled to India, Mauritius or the Seychelles showed high similarity with published sequences from the Indian Ocean island of Réunion.
Conclusions: A sensitive and rapid real-time RT-PCR assay has been developed for CHIKV and tested against current isolates.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jcv.2007.05.008 | DOI Listing |
J Clin Microbiol
January 2025
Laboratory of Animal Pathology and Public Health, National Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health and Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
Unlabelled: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a globally prevalent zoonotic pathogen that is primarily spread through the fecal-oral route, such as by consuming undercooked or contaminated pork. HEV infection leads to an estimated 3.3 million symptomatic cases of viral hepatitis and 70,000 deaths in human populations each year.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCan J Infect Dis Med Microbiol
January 2025
DESAM Research Institute, Near East University, Nicosia, Cyprus.
West Nile Virus (WNV) infection represents a major global public health challenge. Even though most of the patients are asymptomatic, some cases progress to critical condition which may be fatal. Diagnosis traditionally relies on serological methods, but their limitations, including cross-reactivity, highlight the need for alternative approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNarra J
December 2024
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Disease, Children's Hospital Colorado, University of Colorado Denver, Aurora, USA.
Influenza surveillance is important for monitoring influenza virus circulation and disease burden to inform influenza prevention and control measures. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology and to estimate the incidence of influenza in two communities in West Java, Indonesia, before and after the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. A population-based surveillance study in the community health care setting was conducted to estimate the annual incidence of influenza.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNarra J
December 2024
Master of Biomedicine Study Program, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitas Katolik Indonesia Atma Jaya, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Intestinal parasitic infections (IPIs), caused by helminths and/or protozoa, continue to be a significant public health concern in Indonesia. Water access, sanitation, and hygiene practices (WASH) are influential factors for IPIs, especially among children. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between WASH and IPIs among school-aged children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Exp Clin Cancer Res
January 2025
Department of Pathology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1277 Jiefang Avenue, Wuhan, 430022, Hubei Province, People's Republic of China.
Background: Emerging evidence shows that small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), a type of highly conserved non-coding RNA, is involved in tumorigenesis and aggressiveness. However, the roles of snoRNAs in regulating alternative splicing crucial for cancer progression remain elusive.
Methods: High-throughput RNA sequencing and comprehensive analysis were performed to identify crucial snoRNAs and downstream alternative splicing events.
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