ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an emerging pathogen in Europe and North Asia that causes tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). A simple, rapid method for detecting TBEV RNA is needed to control this disease.@*METHODS@#A reverse-transcription recombinase-aided amplification (RT-RAA) assay was developed. This assay can be completed in one closed tube at 39 °C within 30 minutes. The sensitivity and specificity of RT-RAA were validated using non-infectious synthetic RNA representing a fragment of the NS5 region of the wild-type (WT) TBEV genome and the Senzhang strain. Additionally, 10 batches of tick samples were used to evaluate the performance of the RT-RAA assay.@*RESULTS@#The analytical limit of detection of the assay was 20 copies per reaction of the TBEV synthetic transcript and 3 plaque-forming units (pfu) per reaction of TBEV titers. With the specific assay, no signal due to other arboviruses was observed. Of the 10 batches of tick samples obtained from the Changbai Mountains of China, three were TBEV-positive, which was consistent with the results of the quantitative real-time PCR assay.@*CONCLUSION@#A rapid, highly sensitive, specific, and easy-to-use method was developed for the detection of the TBEV Far-Eastern subtype.
Subject(s)
Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne , Genetics , Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques , RNA, ViralABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) rapidly and distinguish its genotypes, a TaqMan-based reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection system was developed.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>By aligning the full-length sequences of JEV (G1-G5), six sets of highly specific TaqMan real-time RT-PCR primers and probes were designed based on the highly conserved NS1, NS2, and M genes of JEV, which included one set for non-specific JEV detection and five sets for the detection of specific JEV genotypes. Twenty batches of mosquito samples were used to evaluate our quantitative PCR assay.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>With the specific assay, no other flavivirus were detected. The lower limits of detection of the system were 1 pfu/mL for JEV titers and 100 RNA copies/µL. The coefficients of variation of this real-time RT-PCR were all < 2.8%. The amplification efficiency of this method was between 90% and 103%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A TaqMan real-time RT-PCR detection system was successfully established to detect and differentiate all five JEV genotypes.</p>