Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology
-
Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a powerful tool that allows the detection of minute quantities of viral RNA. Because of the sensitivity of these assays it is possible that the finding of viral RNA indicates not only active infection but also transient colonization or residual nucleic acid from a distant infection. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV) are two viruses for which RT-PCR is now frequently used for diagnosis in adult disease. ⋯ Asymptomatic carriage of RSV or hMPV is uncommon. RT-PCR should be a useful method for the diagnosis of these viral illnesses in adults.
-
Since the discovery of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, diagnostic protocols were quickly published and deployed globally. ⋯ The first external quality assessment MERS-CoV panel gives a good insight in molecular diagnostic techniques and their performances for sensitive and specific detection of MERS-CoV RNA globally. Overall, all laboratories were capable of detecting MERS-CoV with some differences in sensitivity. The observation that 8% of laboratories reported false MERS-CoV positive single assay results shows room for improvement, and the importance of using confirmatory targets.
-
It is increasingly recognized that human rhinoviruses (HRV) can be associated with severe infections. However, conflicting results have been reported on the relative prevalence and severity of the three HRV species. ⋯ HRV-C was the most prevalent species and on its own was associated with severe disease in children<3 years. The association between infection with HRV species and clinical presentation is complex and affected by many confounding factors.
-
Rapid diagnostics are not available for several human pathogens in the genus Phlebovirus of the Bunyaviridae. ⋯ The assays should help to improve surveillance of pathogenic Phleboviruses.
-
About 8% of human genome is constituted by retroviral sequences. Some of these have been classified as human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs), which have been implicated in both health and disease. Recently, indirect evidence for a possible role of retroviral elements in neurological diseases has been provided by several studies. ⋯ Our study about distinct prevalence patterns of HERVs reflects that some HERVs families may be associated with the development of prion diseases, and considered as a candidate marker for the diagnosis of sporadic CJD.