A dry-format field-deployable quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay for diagnosis of dengue infections

Shuenn Jue Wu, Subhamoy Pal*, Sajeewane Ekanayake, David Greenwald, Silvia Lara, Kanakatte Raviprakash, Tadeusz Kochel, Kevin Porter, Curtis Hayes, William Nelson, Johnny Callahan

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have systematically evaluated a dry-format, quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay developed by Tetracore Inc. for the Cepheid SmartCycler platform to facilitate rapid diagnosis of dengue virus infections. A panel of related flaviviruses was used to evaluate the clinical specificity of the assay, and it was found to be specific to dengue. Eighty-one clinical samples previously confirmed dengue positive by virus isolation, along with 25 dengue negative control specimens were used to validate this new diagnostic assay. Using these clinical samples, the assay exhibited 98.77% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Over 85% of the clinical specimen exhibited viral loads ranging from 103 to 107 plaque-forming units per milliliter (PFU/mL). In addition, this dry-format assay is stable at ambient temperatures and requires minimal technical expertise to perform in a small thermocycler platform. These characteristics make it a promising candidate for diagnosis of dengue in mobile laboratories in the field.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)505-510
Number of pages6
JournalAmerican Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Volume79
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2008
Externally publishedYes

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