PCR assay to detect human pathogenic viruses
Research partner:
Institut für klinische Mikrobiologie und Immunologie
(IKMI), St. Gallen
Dr. P. Cassinotti
http://www.ikmi.ch
Background
In 2001 the threat of the use of viruses as a bioweapon became ever more real.
The current demand for suitable diagnostic methods has grown in significance and become ever more relevant. To this end, molecular diagnostic methods make a considerable contribution to the identification and quantification of microbiological agents by means of nucleic acid amplification techniques.
The project is concerned with developing quantitative molecular biological tests, or PCR assays, to detect under normal conditions, viruses which are medically and epidemiologically relevant, or which have bioweapon/warfare agent potential.
Aim of the project
1. Validation and routine introduction of a PCR assay to detect the tick-borne meningoencephalitis virus.
2. Development, validation and routine introduction of a PCR assay to detect and type Dengue viruses.
3. Planned development of new TaqMan RT-PCR assays to detect other RNA viruses in the flaviviridae family, such as the yellow fever virus.
References
Schwaiger M, Nigg S, and Cassinotti P A quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay with internal control for the detection of tick borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) RNA in clinical specimens (Annual congress of the Swiss Society for Microbiology, Lausanne, March 2001).
Schultze D, Schwaiger M, Niedrig M and Cassinotti P New short time culture and real-time RT-PCR assays for the early diagnosis of dengue fever (Annual congress of the Swiss Society for Microbiology, Lucerne, February 2002).
Publication:
Schwaiger M, Péter O, and Cassinotti P. Routine diagnosis of Borrelia
burgdorferi sensu lato infections using a real-time PCR assay (Clin. Microbiol.
Infect. 2001; 7: 461-469.).