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Huang Y, Xiao S, Yuan Z. Comparison and Evaluation of Real-Time Taqman PCR for Detection and Quantification of Ebolavirus. Viruses 2021; 13:1575. [PMID: 34452440 PMCID: PMC8402893 DOI: 10.3390/v13081575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2021] [Revised: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Given that ebolavirus causes severe and frequently lethal disease, its rapid and accurate detection using available and validated methods is essential for controlling infection. Real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) has proven to be an invaluable tool for ebolaviruses diagnostics. Many assays with different targets have been developed, but they have not been externally compared or validated, and limits of detection are not uniformly reported. Here we compared and evaluated the sensitivity, reproducibility and specificity of 23 in-house assays under the same conditions. Our results showed that these assays were highly gene- and species- specific when evaluated using in vitro RNA transcripts and viral RNA, and the potential limits of detection were uniformly reported ranging from 102 to 106 in vitro synthesized RNA transcripts copies perμL and 1-100 TCID50/mL. The comparison of these assays indicated that those targeting the more conservative NP gene could be the better option for EVD case definition and quantitative measurement because of its higher sensitivity for the same species. Our analysis could contribute to the standardization of ebolavirus detection and quantification assays, which can offer a better understanding of the meaning of results across laboratories and time points, as well as make them easy to implement, especially under outbreak conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Huang
- National Biosafety Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430020, China
| | - Shuqi Xiao
- Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430020, China;
| | - Zhiming Yuan
- National Biosafety Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430020, China
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Dedkov VG, Magassouba N, Stukolova OA, Savina VA, Camara J, Soropogui B, Safonova MV, Semizhon P, Platonov AE. Differential Laboratory Diagnosis of Acute Fever in Guinea: Preparedness for the Threat of Hemorrhagic Fevers. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021; 18:6022. [PMID: 34205104 PMCID: PMC8199941 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18116022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Acute febrile illnesses occur frequently in Guinea. Acute fever itself is not a unique, hallmark indication (pathognomonic sign) of any one illness or disease. In the infectious disease context, fever's underlying cause can be a wide range of viral or bacterial pathogens, including the Ebola virus. In this study, molecular and serological methods were used to analyze samples from patients hospitalized with acute febrile illness in various regions of Guinea. This analysis was undertaken with the goal of accomplishing differential diagnosis (determination of causative pathogen) in such cases. As a result, a number of pathogens, both viral and bacterial, were identified in Guinea as causative agents behind acute febrile illness. In approximately 60% of the studied samples, however, a definitive determination could not be made.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladimir G. Dedkov
- Pasteur Institute, Federal Service on Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (V.A.S.); (A.E.P.)
- Martsinovsky Institute of Medical Parasitology, Tropical and Vector Borne Diseases, Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, 119435 Moscow, Russia
| | - N’Faly Magassouba
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry, Projet de Recherche sur les Fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, 001 B1568 Conakry, Guinea; (N.M.); (J.C.); (B.S.)
| | - Olga A. Stukolova
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Federal Service on Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 111123 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Victoria A. Savina
- Pasteur Institute, Federal Service on Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (V.A.S.); (A.E.P.)
| | - Jakob Camara
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry, Projet de Recherche sur les Fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, 001 B1568 Conakry, Guinea; (N.M.); (J.C.); (B.S.)
| | - Barrè Soropogui
- Laboratoire de Virologie, Université Gamal Abdel Nasser de Conakry, Projet de Recherche sur les Fièvres Hémorragiques en Guinée, 001 B1568 Conakry, Guinea; (N.M.); (J.C.); (B.S.)
| | - Marina V. Safonova
- Anti-Plague Center, Federal Service on Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 119121 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Pavel Semizhon
- The Republican Research and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology, 220114 Minsk, Belarus;
| | - Alexander E. Platonov
- Pasteur Institute, Federal Service on Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (V.A.S.); (A.E.P.)
- Central Research Institute for Epidemiology, Federal Service on Consumers’ Rights Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 111123 Moscow, Russia;
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Thirion L, Charrel RN, Boehmann Y, Corcostegui I, Raoul H, de Lamballerie X. Development and Evaluation of a Duo Zaire ebolavirus Real-Time RT-PCR Assay Targeting Two Regions within the Genome. Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7120652. [PMID: 31817185 PMCID: PMC6956279 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7120652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Preparedness and response actions to mitigate Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks rely on rapid diagnosis to be implemented locally to sort suspect patients attending health centers. Our aim was (i) to develop and evaluate an RT-qPCR assay combining primers and probes derived from two reference assays targeting different genomic regions; (ii) to study whether sensitivity and specificity of this dual-target assay were at least equal or better to the parental assays; (iii) to implement this dual-target assay onto the Cepheid GeneXpert open cartridge as a proof of principle for technological transfer aiming at bedsite testing locally. To do so, three home-made published RT-qPCR assays were selected to be compared with the RealStar® Filovirus Screen RT-PCR kit 1.0 (Altona Diagnostics, Hamburg, Germany), a technique that was largely deployed during the 2014–2015 West African EVD outbreak. Primers and probes sequences of the custom-made assays were analyzed in silico against a multiple sequence alignment, including >250 complete sequences corresponding to strains that have caused EVD epidemics in the past. Genomic RNA purified from the Mekambo strain of Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) was used to study the sensitivity of the five methods. Based on these results, two in-house methods were selected and adapted to design the dual-target assay, which performances were compared to those of the parental assays using a synthetic RNA control. The dual-target assay showed better sensitivity and limit of detection (LoD95 at 0.4 copies/µL) than the parental methods (1.7 and 2.2 copies/µL). Ultimately, the dual-target assay was transferred onto the GeneXpert Flex-03 open cartridge, demonstrating a LoD95 at 0.75 copies/µL. Together these results indicate that EBOV dual-target assay has the potential to be used during EVD outbreak in the laboratory having performed molecular testing during the recent outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Thirion
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM U1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Aix Marseille Universite, Marseille 13000, France; (L.T.); (Y.B.); (I.C.); (X.d.L.)
| | - Remi N. Charrel
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM U1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Aix Marseille Universite, Marseille 13000, France; (L.T.); (Y.B.); (I.C.); (X.d.L.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Yannik Boehmann
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM U1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Aix Marseille Universite, Marseille 13000, France; (L.T.); (Y.B.); (I.C.); (X.d.L.)
| | - Iban Corcostegui
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM U1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Aix Marseille Universite, Marseille 13000, France; (L.T.); (Y.B.); (I.C.); (X.d.L.)
| | - Hervé Raoul
- Laboratory P4-Jean Mérieux, INSERM, Lyon 69007, France;
| | - Xavier de Lamballerie
- Unité des Virus Emergents (UVE: Aix Marseille Univ, IRD 190, INSERM U1207, IHU Méditerranée Infection), Aix Marseille Universite, Marseille 13000, France; (L.T.); (Y.B.); (I.C.); (X.d.L.)
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Tembo J, Simulundu E, Changula K, Handley D, Gilbert M, Chilufya M, Asogun D, Ansumana R, Kapata N, Ntoumi F, Ippolito G, Zumla A, Bates M. Recent advances in the development and evaluation of molecular diagnostics for Ebola virus disease. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2019; 19:325-340. [PMID: 30916590 DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2019.1595592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The 2014-16 outbreak of ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa resulted in 11,308 deaths. During the outbreak only 60% of patients were laboratory confirmed and global health authorities have identified the need for accurate and readily deployable molecular diagnostics as an important component of the ideal response to future outbreaks, to quickly identify and isolate patients. Areas covered: Currently PCR-based techniques and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) that detect antigens specific to EVD infections dominate the diagnostic landscape, but recent advances in biosensor technologies have led to novel approaches for the development of EVD diagnostics. This review summarises the literature and available performance data of currently available molecular diagnostics for ebolavirus, identifies knowledge gaps and maps out future priorities for research in this field. Expert opinion: While there are now a plethora of diagnostic tests for EVD at various stages of development, there is an acute need for studies to compare their clinical performance, but the sporadic nature of EVD outbreaks makes this extremely challenging, demanding pragmatic new modalities of research funding and ethical/institutional approval, to enable responsive research in outbreak settings. Retrospective head-to-head diagnostic comparisons could also be implemented using biobanked specimens, providing this can be done safely.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Tembo
- a HerpeZ , University Teaching hospital , Lusaka , Zambia
| | - Edgar Simulundu
- b Department of Disease Control , University of Zambia School of Veterinary Medicine , Lusaka , Zambia
| | - Katendi Changula
- b Department of Disease Control , University of Zambia School of Veterinary Medicine , Lusaka , Zambia
| | - Dale Handley
- c School of Life Sciences , University of Lincoln , Lincoln , UK
| | - Matthew Gilbert
- c School of Life Sciences , University of Lincoln , Lincoln , UK
| | - Moses Chilufya
- a HerpeZ , University Teaching hospital , Lusaka , Zambia
| | - Danny Asogun
- d Lassa fever research institute , Irrua University Teaching Hospital , Irrua , Nigeria
| | | | - Nathan Kapata
- f Zambia National Public Health Institute , Lusaka , Zambia
| | - Francine Ntoumi
- g Fondation Congolaise pour la Recherche Médicale , Brazzaville , Republic of Congo
| | - Giuseppe Ippolito
- h National Institute for Infectious Diseases , Lazzaro Spallanzani, IRCCS , Rome , Italy
| | - Alimuddin Zumla
- i Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity , University College London (UCL) , London , UK.,j National Institute of Health and Research Biomedical Research Centre , UCL Hospitals National Health Service Foundation Trust , London , UK
| | - Matthew Bates
- a HerpeZ , University Teaching hospital , Lusaka , Zambia.,c School of Life Sciences , University of Lincoln , Lincoln , UK.,i Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection and Immunity , University College London (UCL) , London , UK
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Abstract
Viruses, which are the most abundant biological entities on the planet, have been regarded as the "dark matter" of biology in the sense that despite their ubiquity and frequent presence in large numbers, their detection and analysis are not always straightforward. The majority of them are very small (falling under the limit of 0.5 μm), and collectively, they are extraordinarily diverse. In fact, the majority of the genetic diversity on the planet is found in the so-called virosphere, or the world of viruses. Furthermore, the most frequent viral agents of disease in humans display an RNA genome, and frequently evolve very fast, due to the fact that most of their polymerases are devoid of proofreading activity. Therefore, their detection, genetic characterization, and epidemiological surveillance are rather challenging. This review (part of the Curated Collection on Advances in Molecular Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases) describes many of the methods that, throughout the last few decades, have been used for viral detection and analysis. Despite the challenge of having to deal with high genetic diversity, the majority of these methods still depend on the amplification of viral genomic sequences, using sequence-specific or sequence-independent approaches, exploring thermal profiles or a single nucleic acid amplification temperature. Furthermore, viral populations, and especially those with RNA genomes, are not usually genetically uniform but encompass swarms of genetically related, though distinct, viral genomes known as viral quasispecies. Therefore, sequence analysis of viral amplicons needs to take this fact into consideration, as it constitutes a potential analytic problem. Possible technical approaches to deal with it are also described here. *This article is part of a curated collection.
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Zai J, Yi K, Xie L, Zhu J, Feng X, Li Y. Dual monoclonal antibody-based sandwich ELISA for detection of in vitro packaged Ebola virus. Diagn Pathol 2018; 13:96. [PMID: 30567559 PMCID: PMC6300876 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-018-0773-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Rapid transmission and high mortality of Ebola virus disease (EVD) highlight a urgent need of large scale, convenient and effective measure for Ebola virus screening. Application of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are crucial for establishment of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with high sensitivity and specificity. Methods The traditional cell fusion technique was used to generate a panel of hybridomas. Two mAbs were characterized by SDS-PAGE, Western blot, Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). A sandwich ELISA was established using the two mAbs. The detection capability of the ELISA was evaluated. Results In the current study, we produced two murine-derived mAbs (designated as 6E3 and 3F21) towards Zaire Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), the major viral transmembrane spike protein associated with viral attachment. It was shown that 6E3 and 3F21 recognized GP1 and GP2 subunits of the GP respectively. Furthermore, 6E3 and 3F21 bound to corresponding epitopes on GP without reciprocal topographical interpretation. Subsequently, a sandwich ELISA based on the two mAbs were established and evaluated. The detection limit was 3.6 ng/ml, with a linear range of 3.6–100 ng/ml. More importantly, Ebola virus like particles (eVLPs) were able to be detected by this established virus detection measure. Conclusions We produced and characterized two murine-derived mAbs (designated as 6E3 and 3F21) towards Zaire Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP), and established a sandwich ELISA based on the mAbs. It was suggested that the sandwich ELISA provided an alternative method for specific and sensitive detection of Ebola virus in the field setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjie Zai
- Hubei Engineering Research Center of Viral Vector, Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China
| | - Kai Yi
- Hubei Engineering Research Center of Viral Vector, Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China
| | - Lilan Xie
- Hubei Engineering Research Center of Viral Vector, Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China
| | - Jiping Zhu
- Hubei Engineering Research Center of Viral Vector, Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China
| | - Xiaoting Feng
- Hubei Engineering Research Center of Viral Vector, Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China
| | - Yaoming Li
- Hubei Engineering Research Center of Viral Vector, Applied Biotechnology Research Center, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China. .,College of Life Science and Technology, Wuhan University of Bioengineering, Wuhan, 430400, China.
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Kost GJ. Molecular and point-of-care diagnostics for Ebola and new threats: National POCT policy and guidelines will stop epidemics. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 2018; 18:657-673. [DOI: 10.1080/14737159.2018.1491793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gerald J. Kost
- Point-of-Care Center for Teaching and Research (POCT•CTRTM), School of Medicine, UC Davis, and Knowledge Optimization®, Davis, CA
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