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Rafieepoor M, Mohebbi SR, Hosseini SM, Tanhaei M, Niasar MS, Kazemian S, Moore MD, Zali MR. Detection of human enteric viruses in fresh produce of markets, farms and surface water used for irrigation in the Tehran, Iran. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169575. [PMID: 38143000 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023]
Abstract
Considering the major role of vegetables in the transmission of gastrointestinal diseases, investigation of the presence of gastrointestinal viruses is particularly important for public health. Additionally, monitoring and investigating potential points of contamination at various stages of cultivation, harvesting, and distribution can be important in identifying the sources of transmission. This study was conducted with the aim of identifying norovirus, adenovirus, hepatitis A virus, hepatitis E virus, rotaviruses, and astroviruses in vegetable samples from the fields and fruit and vegetable centers of Tehran City, and to investigate their presence in irrigation water by RT-qPCR. This study was carried out in two phases: initial and supplementary. During phase I, a total of 3 farms and 5 fruit and vegetable centers and a total of 35 samples from farms, 102 samples from fruit and vegetable centers and 8 agricultural water samples were collected. Zero, 16 and 1 samples were positive for at least one of the viruses from each of the sources, respectively. During phase II, 88 samples from 23 farms, 226 samples from 50 fruit and vegetable centers and 16 irrigation water samples were collected, with 23, 57 and 4 samples were positive for at least one virus, respectively. Rotavirus was the most frequently identified virus among the samples, followed by NoV GII, NoV GI, AstV, and AdV. HAV and HEV were not detected in any of the tested samples. The results of this study suggest that there may be a wide presence of viruses in vegetables, farms, and fruit and vegetable centers in Tehran City, which could have significant consequences considering the fact that many of these foods are consumed raw. Additionally, the detection of some of these viruses in irrigation water suggests that this may be a potential route for viral contamination of produce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maedeh Rafieepoor
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Reza Mohebbi
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Seyed Masoud Hosseini
- Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Tanhaei
- Basic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahsa Saeedi Niasar
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shabnam Kazemian
- Foodborne and Waterborne Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Matthew D Moore
- Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Mohammad Reza Zali
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Fernandez I Marti A, Parungao M, Hollin J, Selimotic B, Farrar G, Seyler T, Anand A, Ahmad R. A Novel, Precise and High-Throughput Technology for Viroid Detection in Cannabis (MFDetect TM). Viruses 2023; 15:1487. [PMID: 37515174 PMCID: PMC10385567 DOI: 10.3390/v15071487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Hop latent viroid (HLVd) is a severe disease of cannabis, causing substantial economic losses in plant yield and crop value for growers worldwide. The best way to control the disease is early detection to limit the spread of the viroid in grow facilities. This study describes MFDetectTM as a rapid, highly sensitive, and high-throughput tool for detecting HLVd in the early stages of plant development. Furthermore, in the largest research study conducted so far for HLVd detection in cannabis, we compared MFDetectTM with quantitative RT-PCR in a time course experiment using different plant tissues, leaves, petioles, and roots at different plant developmental stages to demonstrate both technologies are comparable. Our study found leaf tissue is a suitable plant material for HLVd detection, with the viroid titer increasing in the infected leaf tissue with the age of plants. The study showed that other tissue types, including petiole and roots, were equally sensitive to detection via MFDetectTM. The assay developed in this research allows the screening of thousands of plants in a week. The assay can be scaled easily to provide growers with a quick turnaround and a cost-effective diagnostic tool for screening many plants and tissue types at different stages of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angel Fernandez I Marti
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- MyFloraDNA, Inc., 1451 River Park Dr., Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
| | - Marcus Parungao
- MyFloraDNA, Inc., 1451 River Park Dr., Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
| | - Jonathan Hollin
- MyFloraDNA, Inc., 1451 River Park Dr., Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
| | - Berin Selimotic
- MyFloraDNA, Inc., 1451 River Park Dr., Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
| | - Graham Farrar
- Glass House Farms, 645 W Laguna Road, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Tristan Seyler
- Glass House Farms, 645 W Laguna Road, Camarillo, CA 93012, USA
| | - Ajith Anand
- MyFloraDNA, Inc., 1451 River Park Dr., Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
| | - Riaz Ahmad
- MyFloraDNA, Inc., 1451 River Park Dr., Sacramento, CA 95815, USA
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Wu R, Meng B, Corredig M, Griffiths MW. Rapid Detection of Hepatitis A Virus in Foods Using a Bioluminescent Assay in Real-Time (BART) and Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Technology. FOOD AND ENVIRONMENTAL VIROLOGY 2023; 15:144-157. [PMID: 36640204 PMCID: PMC9839959 DOI: 10.1007/s12560-022-09548-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Foodborne hepatitis A infections have been considered as a major threat for public health worldwide. Increased incidences of hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection has been associated with growing global trade of food products. Rapid and sensitive detection of HAV in foods is very essential for investigating the outbreaks. Real-time RT-PCR has been most widely used for the detection of HAV by far. However, the technology relies on fluorescence determination of the amplicon and requires sophisticated, high-cost instruments and trained personnel, limiting its use in low resource settings. In this study, a robust, affordable, and simple assay, reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay in combination with a bioluminescence-based determination of amplification in real-time (BART), was developed for the detection of HAV in different food matrices, including green onion, strawberry, mussel, and milk. The efficiencies of a one-step RT-LAMP-BART and a two-step RT-LAMP-BART were investigated for the detection of HAV in different food matrices and was compared with that of real-time RT-PCR. The sensitivity of the RT-LAMP-BART assay was significantly affected by Mg2+ concentration (P < 0.05), in addition to primer quality. The optimal Mg2+ concentration was 2 mM for one-step RT-LAMP-BART and 4 mM for two-step RT-LAMP-BART. Compared with cartridge-purified primers, HPLC-purified primers could greatly improve the sensitivity of the RT-LAMP-BART assay (P < 0.05). For detecting HAV in different food matrices, the performance of two-step RT-LAMP-BART was comparable with that of real-time RT-PCR and was better than that of one-step RT-LAMP-BART. The detection limit of the two-step RT-LAMP-BART for HAV in green onion, strawberry, mussel, and milk was 8.3 × 100 PFU/15 g, 8.3 × 101 PFU/50 g, 8.3 × 100 PFU/5 g, and 8.3 × 100 PFU/40 mL, respectively. The developed RT-LAMP-BART was an effective, simple, sensitive, and robust method for foodborne HAV detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqin Wu
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
- Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, 43 McGilvray Street, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Baozhong Meng
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Milena Corredig
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Mansel W Griffiths
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
- Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, 43 McGilvray Street, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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Efficient capturing and sensitive detection of hepatitis A virus from solid foods (green onion, strawberry, and mussel) using protamine-coated iron oxide (Fe 3O 4) magnetic nanoparticles and real-time RT-PCR. Food Microbiol 2021; 102:103921. [PMID: 34809947 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2021.103921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 09/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) continues to be a public health concern and has caused large foodborne outbreaks and economic losses worldwide. Rapid detection of HAV in foods can help to confirm the source of outbreaks in a timely manner and prevent more people getting infected. In order to efficiently detect HAV at low levels of contamination in foods, rapid and easy-to-use techniques are required to separate and concentrate viral particles to a small volume. In the current study, HAV particles were eluted from green onion, strawberry, and mussel using glycine buffer (0.05 M glycine, 0.14 M NaCl, 0.2% (v/v) Tween 20, pH 9.0) and suspended viral particles were captured using protamine-coated magnetic nanoparticles (PMNPs). This process caused a selective concentration of the viral particles, which could be followed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR analysis. Results showed that pH, NaCl concentration, and PMNP amount used for the capturing had significant effects on the recovery efficiency of HAV (P < 0.05). The highest recovery rate was obtained at pH 9.0, 0.14 M NaCl, and 50 μL of PMNPs. The optimized PMNP capturing method enabled the rapid capture and concentration of HAV. A sensitive real-time RT-PCR test was developed with detection limits of 8.3 × 100 PFU/15 g, 8.3 × 101 PFU/50 g, and 8.3 × 100 PFU/5 g of HAV in green onion, strawberry, and mussel, respectively. In conclusion, the PMNP method is rapid and convenient in capturing HAV from complex solid food samples and can generate concentrated HAV sample solutions suitable for high-sensitivity real time RT-PCR detection of the virus.
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False-Negative Results in Taqman One-Step RT-PCR Test: Evaluation of Endogenous Internal Control Function Used in SARS-CoV-2 Detection Tests. Jundishapur J Microbiol 2021. [DOI: 10.5812/jjm.116533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Taqman one-step real-time PCR (RT-PCR) has special importance due to its high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of infectious diseases such as viral infections. In the recent pandemic of SARS-CoV-2, diagnostic kits based on this method are commonly used for molecular detection. One of the main systematic errors that misinterpret the results is using inaccurate internal control in RT-PCR diagnostic kits. Designing primers and probes that span exon-exon junction will avoid genomic DNA amplification and lead to obtaining high specific results. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the endogenous internal control of primers and probe for RNase P RNA to reduce false-negative results in respiratory samples. Methods: In this study, 30 samples of patients who were negative for SARS-CoV-2, influenza A, and influenza B were re-evaluated for SARS-CoV-2 using newly designed primers and probes for RNase P RNA (ultra-specific primers and probe). We also performed bioinformatics analysis on CDC-approved primers and probes of RNase P endogenous internal control. Results: In this analysis, we specified the location of these newly designed primers and probe on target mRNA and genomic DNA. Then, the Taqman one-step RT-PCR method was performed using both CDC-approved primers and probes along with our ultra-specific primers and probe for RNase P RNA. Based on bioinformatics analysis, the attachment sites of the CDC-approved primers and probe for endogenous internal control of RNase P are located on the first exon of this gene. In addition to identifying the target gene sequence, these primers and probe also non-specifically detect similar sequences on the genomic DNA. Conclusions: The present study showed that the use of specific primers and probes introduced by CDC for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus may cause false results due to non-specific binding to the genomic DNA. Therefore, choosing the right internal control for RNase P RNA can be useful in achieving very accurate results.
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Li Y, He XZ, Li MH, Li B, Yang MJ, Xie Y, Zhang Y, Ma XJ. Comparison of third-generation sequencing approaches to identify viral pathogens under public health emergency conditions. Virus Genes 2020; 56:288-297. [PMID: 32193781 DOI: 10.1007/s11262-020-01746-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The capability of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) for detection of known and unknown viruses timely makes it a powerful tool for public health emergency response. Third-generation sequencing (TGS) offers advantages in speed and length of detection over second-generation sequencing (SGS). Here, we presented the end-to-end workflows for both Oxford Nanopore MinION and Pacbio Sequel on a viral disease emergency event, along with Ion Torrent PGM as a reference. A specific pipeline for comparative analysis on viral genomes recovered by each platform was assembled, given the high errors of base-calling for TGS platforms. All the three platforms successfully identified and recovered at least 85% Norovirus GII genomes. Oxford Nanopore MinION spent the least sample-to-answer turnaround time with relatively low but enough accuracy for taxonomy classification. Pacbio Sequel recovered the most accurate viral genome, while spending the longest time. Overall, Nanopore metagenomics can rapidly characterize viruses, and Pacbio Sequel can accurately recover viruses. This study provides a framework for designing the appropriate experiments that are likely to lead to accurate and rapid virus emergency response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Li
- NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xiao-Zhou He
- NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Ming-Hui Li
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100011, China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics and National Center for Plant Gene Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Meng-Jie Yang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yao Xie
- Department of Hepatology Division 2, Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100011, China.
| | - Yi Zhang
- NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China.
| | - Xue-Jun Ma
- NHC Key Laboratory of Medical Virology and Viral Diseases, National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 102206, China.
- Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
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Abstract
Once the genome of a microbial organism has been sequenced, it becomes possible to utilize portions of the genome, known as “signatures” to identify when that organism is present in a complex clinical or environmental sample. Genomic signatures can be at multiple levels of resolution depending on the questions being asked. (“Is this white powder anthrax?”; “Does this white powder match any of the anthrax samples taken from every laboratory in the United States that possesses anthrax?”) Multiple technologies exist to turn abstract genomic signatures into assays that can interrogate complex samples with varying degrees of speed, sensitivity, specificity, and cost. The recent flood of microbial genomic data has complicated the task of designing genomic signatures.
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Wu R, Xing X, Corredig M, Meng B, Griffiths MW. Concentration of hepatitis A virus in milk using protamine-coated iron oxide (Fe 3O 4) magnetic nanoparticles. Food Microbiol 2019; 84:103236. [PMID: 31421754 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2019.05.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) continues to be the leading cause of viral hepatitis. HAV outbreaks have been linked to the consumption of milk, but methods for HAV detection in milk are very limited. We developed a method to concentrate HAV in milk using protamine-coated iron oxide (Fe3O4) magnetic nanoparticles (PMNPs). In this study, protamine was covalently coated on the surface of the MNPs (20-30 nm) by a three-step chemical reaction. The successful linkage of protamine to the MNPs was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), zeta potential, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When used for concentrating HAV from 40 mL of milk, 50 μL of PMNPs were added to the sample and mixed for 20 min by gentle rotation, followed by a magnet capture for 30 min. The captured PMNPs were washed with glycine buffer (0.05 M glycine, 0.14 M NaCl, 0.2% (v/v) Tween 20, pH 9.0) and HAV RNA was extracted using the QIAamp MinElute Virus Spin Kit and quantified by real-time RT-PCR. The method showed a detection limit of 8.3 × 100 PFU of HAV in milk. The whole concentration procedure could be completed in approximately 50 min. The developed method was simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-perform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruiqin Wu
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada; Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, 43 McGilvray Street, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Xiaohui Xing
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Milena Corredig
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Baozhong Meng
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Mansel W Griffiths
- Department of Food Science, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada; Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety, 43 McGilvray Street, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Visual and modular detection of pathogen nucleic acids with enzyme-DNA molecular complexes. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3238. [PMID: 30104566 PMCID: PMC6089962 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05733-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid, visual detection of pathogen nucleic acids has broad applications in infection management. Here we present a modular detection platform, termed enzyme-assisted nanocomplexes for visual identification of nucleic acids (enVision). The system consists of an integrated circuit of enzyme–DNA nanostructures, which function as independent recognition and signaling elements, for direct and versatile detection of pathogen nucleic acids from infected cells. The built-in enzymatic cascades produce a rapid color readout for the naked eye; the assay is thus fast (<2 h), sensitive (<10 amol), and readily quantified with smartphones. When implemented on a configurable microfluidic platform, the technology demonstrates superior programmability to perform versatile computations, for detecting diverse pathogen targets and their virus–host genome integration loci. We further design the enVision platform for molecular-typing of infections in patient endocervical samples. The technology not only improves the clinical inter-subtype differentiation, but also expands the intra-subtype coverage to identify previously undetectable infections. Rapid, visual detection of pathogens is important for point-of-care diagnostics. Here the authors present enVision, which uses enzyme-DNA complexes to detect pathogen nucleic acids and provide a rapid, smartphone compatible readout.
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Chou KX, Williams-Hill DM. Improved TaqMan real-time assays for detecting hepatitis A virus. J Virol Methods 2018; 254:46-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2018.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 01/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Application of next generation sequencing toward sensitive detection of enteric viruses isolated from celery samples as an example of produce. Int J Food Microbiol 2017; 261:73-81. [PMID: 28992517 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2017.07.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2017] [Revised: 07/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Next generation sequencing (NGS) holds promise as a single application for both detection and sequence identification of foodborne viruses; however, technical challenges remain due to anticipated low quantities of virus in contaminated food. In this study, with a focus on data analysis using several bioinformatics tools, we applied NGS toward amplification-independent detection and identification of norovirus at low copy (<103 copies) or within multiple strains from produce. Celery samples were inoculated with human norovirus (stool suspension) either as a single norovirus strain, a mixture of strains (GII.4 and GII.6), or a mixture of different species (hepatitis A virus and norovirus). Viral RNA isolation and recovery was confirmed by RT-qPCR, and optimized for library generation and sequencing without amplification using the Illumina MiSeq platform. Extracts containing either a single virus or a two-virus mixture were analyzed using two different analytic approaches to achieve virus detection and identification. First an overall assessment of viral genome coverage for samples varying in copy numbers (1.1×103 to 1.7×107) and genomic content (single or multiple strains in various ratios) was completed by reference-guided mapping. Not unexpectedly, this targeted approach to identification was successful in correctly mapping reads, thus identifying each virus contained in the inoculums even at low copy (estimated at 12 copies). For the second (metagenomic) approach, samples were treated as "unknowns" for data analyses using (i) a sequence-based alignment with a local database, (ii) an "in-house" k-mer tool, (iii) a commercially available metagenomics bioinformatic analysis platform cosmosID, and (iv) an open-source program Kraken. Of the four metagenomics tools applied in this study, only the local database alignment and in-house k-mer tool were successful in detecting norovirus (as well as HAV) at low copy (down to <103 copies) and within a mixture of virus strains or species. The results of this investigation provide support for continued investigation into the development and integration of these analytical tools for identification and detection of foodborne viruses.
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Mandli J, Attar A, Ennaji MM, Amine A. Indirect competitive electrochemical immunosensor for hepatitis A virus antigen detection. J Electroanal Chem (Lausanne) 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2017.05.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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13
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Yang Z, Leonard SR, Mammel MK, Elkins CA, Kulka M. Towards next-generation sequencing analytics for foodborne RNA viruses: Examining the effect of RNA input quantity and viral RNA purity. J Virol Methods 2016; 236:221-230. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 07/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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14
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Wadle S, Lehnert M, Schuler F, Köppel R, Serr A, Zengerle R, von Stetten F. Simplified development of multiplex real-time PCR through master mix augmented by universal fluorogenic reporters. Biotechniques 2016; 61:123-8. [PMID: 27625206 DOI: 10.2144/000114443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Mediator probe (MP) PCR is a real-time PCR approach that uses standardized universal fluorogenic reporter oligonucleotides (UR) in conjunction with label-free sequence-specific probes. To enable multiplex real-time MP PCR, we designed a set of five optimized URs with different fluorescent labels. Performance of the optimized URs was verified in multiplex real-time MP PCR for the detection of a pentaplex food panel and a quadruplex methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) panel. Results were comparable to corresponding multiplex hydrolysis probe (HP) PCR, also designated as TaqMan PCR. Analyses of MRSA DNA standards and DNA extracted from patient swab samples showed improved lower limits of detection (LoDs) by a factor of 2-5 when using quadruplex real-time MP PCR instead of HP PCR. The novel set of standardized URs we present here simplifies development of multiplex real-time PCR assays by requiring only the design of label-free probes. In the future, real-time PCR master mixes could be augmented with up to five standardized fluorogenic URs, each emitting light at a different wavelength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Wadle
- Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Hahn-Schickard-Institut für Mikroanalysesysteme, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Lehnert
- Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Friedrich Schuler
- Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Hahn-Schickard-Institut für Mikroanalysesysteme, Freiburg, Germany
| | - René Köppel
- Food Control Authority of the Canton of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Annerose Serr
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Roland Zengerle
- Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Hahn-Schickard-Institut für Mikroanalysesysteme, Freiburg, Germany.,BIOSS-Centre for Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Felix von Stetten
- Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Hahn-Schickard-Institut für Mikroanalysesysteme, Freiburg, Germany
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15
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Weseslindtner L, Macheleidt I, Eischeid H, Strassl R, Hofer H, Popow-Kraupp T, Dienes HP, Holzmann H, Odenthal M. Micro RNAs mir-106a, mir-122 and mir-197 are increased in severe acute viral hepatitis with coagulopathy. Liver Int 2016; 36:353-60. [PMID: 26352910 DOI: 10.1111/liv.12961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/03/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS The severity of acute viral hepatitis, which may be caused by several distinct viruses, varies among individual patients. In rare cases, severe hepatic injury with sudden loss of liver function may occur, which is clinically indicated by the occurrence of coagulopathy or encephalopathy. As the molecular mechanisms of this liver injury are largely unknown, we investigated extracellular micro RNA (miRNA) profiles in 54 patients acutely infected with one of four different hepatotropic viruses, in order to identify those miRNAs which indicate severe viral hepatitis associated with coagulopathy. METHODS First, the profile of miRNAs was extensively analysed using a microarray-based approach in highly characterized 24 patients, matched in terms of sex, age and level of liver enzymes, as well as in three healthy controls. The cohort included samples from 18 patients with moderate and six individuals with severe hepatitis, indicated by abnormal prothrombin time and higher alanine aminotransferase and bilirubin levels. miRNAs found to be upregulated in severe hepatitis were then quantified by real-time PCR in the expanded cohort of 54 patients. RESULTS Comprehensive microarray-based miRNA profiling identified upregulation of mir-106a, mir-122 and mir-197 in patients with severe acute viral hepatitis with coagulopathy, as compared to patients who did not develop coagulopathy. mir-106a, mir-122 and mir-197 were then proven to be significantly upregulated in patients with severe acute viral hepatitis by quantitative real-time PCR (P < 0.01, Mann-Whitney U-test). CONCLUSIONS mir-106a, mir-122 and mir-197 could be potential markers for severe acute viral hepatitis associated with coagulopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Iris Macheleidt
- Institute for Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hannah Eischeid
- Institute for Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Robert Strassl
- Division of Clinical Virology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Harald Hofer
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine III, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Theresia Popow-Kraupp
- Division of Clinical Virology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Hans-Peter Dienes
- Institute of Pathology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Margarete Odenthal
- Institute for Pathology, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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16
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Polymerase chain reaction-free detection of hepatitis B virus DNA using a nanostructured impedance biosensor. Biosens Bioelectron 2016; 77:603-8. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2015.10.028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2015] [Revised: 10/03/2015] [Accepted: 10/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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17
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Gardner SN, Frey KG, Redden CL, Thissen JB, Allen JE, Allred AF, Dyer MD, Mokashi VP, Slezak TR. Targeted amplification for enhanced detection of biothreat agents by next-generation sequencing. BMC Res Notes 2015; 8:682. [PMID: 26572552 PMCID: PMC4647626 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-015-1530-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/28/2015] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Historically, identification of causal agents of disease has relied heavily on the ability to culture the organism in the laboratory and/or the use of pathogen-specific antibodies or sequence-based probes. However, these methods can be limiting: Even highly sensitive PCR-based assays must be continually updated due to signature degradation as new target strains and near neighbors are sequenced. Thus, there has been a need for assays that do not suffer as greatly from these limitations and/or biases. Recent advances in library preparation technologies for Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) are focusing on the use of targeted amplification and targeted enrichment/capture to ensure that the most highly discriminating regions of the genomes of known targets (organism-unique regions and/or regions containing functionally important genes or phylogenetically-discriminating SNPs) will be sequenced, regardless of the complex sample background. RESULTS In the present study, we have assessed the feasibility of targeted sequence enhancement via amplification to facilitate detection of a bacterial pathogen present in low copy numbers in a background of human genomic material. Our results indicate that the targeted amplification of signature regions can effectively identify pathogen genomic material present in as little as 10 copies per ml in a complex sample. Importantly, the correct species and strain calls could be made in amplified samples, while this was not possible in unamplified samples. CONCLUSIONS The results presented here demonstrate the efficacy of a targeted amplification approach to biothreat detection, using multiple highly-discriminative amplicons per biothreat organism that provide redundancy in case of variation in some primer regions. Importantly, strain level discrimination was possible at levels of 10 genome equivalents. Similar results could be obtained through use of panels focused on the identification of amplicons targeted for specific genes or SNPs instead of, or in addition to, those targeted for specific organisms (ongoing gene-targeting work to be reported later). Note that without some form of targeted enhancement, the enormous background present in complex clinical and environmental samples makes it highly unlikely that sufficient coverage of key pathogen(s) present in the sample will be achieved with current NGS technology to guarantee that the most highly discriminating regions will be sequenced.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shea N Gardner
- Bioinformatics, Global Security Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, L-174, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA.
| | - Kenneth G Frey
- Naval Medical Research Center, NMRC-Frederick, 8400 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, MD, 21702, USA. .,Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 6720-A Rockledge Drive, Suite 100, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA.
| | - Cassie L Redden
- Naval Medical Research Center, NMRC-Frederick, 8400 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, MD, 21702, USA. .,Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 6720-A Rockledge Drive, Suite 100, Bethesda, MD, 20817, USA.
| | - James B Thissen
- Bioinformatics, Global Security Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, L-174, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA.
| | - Jonathan E Allen
- Bioinformatics, Global Security Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, L-174, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA.
| | - Adam F Allred
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 180 Oyster Point Boulevard, Building 200, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
| | - Matthew D Dyer
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, 180 Oyster Point Boulevard, Building 200, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA.
| | - Vishwesh P Mokashi
- Naval Medical Research Center, NMRC-Frederick, 8400 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, MD, 21702, USA.
| | - Tom R Slezak
- Bioinformatics, Global Security Program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, L-174, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA.
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18
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Del Bonis-O'Donnell JT, Fygenson DK, Pennathur S. Fluorescent silver nanocluster DNA probes for multiplexed detection using microfluidic capillary electrophoresis. Analyst 2015; 140:1609-15. [DOI: 10.1039/c4an01735h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We tune the electrophoretic mobilities of silver nanocluster DNA probes for Hepatitis A, B and C targets for single-color multiplexing by microfluidic capillary electrophoresis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sumita Pennathur
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- University of California Santa Barbara
- Santa Barbara
- USA
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19
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Frey KG, Herrera-Galeano JE, Redden CL, Luu TV, Servetas SL, Mateczun AJ, Mokashi VP, Bishop-Lilly KA. Comparison of three next-generation sequencing platforms for metagenomic sequencing and identification of pathogens in blood. BMC Genomics 2014; 15:96. [PMID: 24495417 PMCID: PMC3922542 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-15-96] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The introduction of benchtop sequencers has made adoption of whole genome sequencing possible for a broader community of researchers than ever before. Concurrently, metagenomic sequencing (MGS) is rapidly emerging as a tool for interrogating complex samples that defy conventional analyses. In addition, next-generation sequencers are increasingly being used in clinical or related settings, for instance to track outbreaks. However, information regarding the analytical sensitivity or limit of detection (LoD) of benchtop sequencers is currently lacking. Furthermore, the specificity of sequence information at or near the LoD is unknown. Results In the present study, we assess the ability of three next-generation sequencing platforms to identify a pathogen (viral or bacterial) present in low titers in a clinically relevant sample (blood). Our results indicate that the Roche-454 Titanium platform is capable of detecting Dengue virus at titers as low as 1X102.5 pfu/mL, corresponding to an estimated 5.4X104 genome copies/ml maximum. The increased throughput of the benchtop sequencers, the Ion Torrent PGM and Illumina MiSeq platforms, enabled detection of viral genomes at concentrations as low as 1X104 genome copies/mL. Platform-specific biases were evident in sequence read distributions as well as viral genome coverage. For bacterial samples, only the MiSeq platform was able to provide sequencing reads that could be unambiguously classified as originating from Bacillus anthracis. Conclusion The analytical sensitivity of all three platforms approaches that of standard qPCR assays. Although all platforms were able to detect pathogens at the levels tested, there were several noteworthy differences. The Roche-454 Titanium platform produced consistently longer reads, even when compared with the latest chemistry updates for the PGM platform. The MiSeq platform produced consistently greater depth and breadth of coverage, while the Ion Torrent was unequaled for speed of sequencing. None of the platforms were able to verify a single nucleotide polymorphism responsible for antiviral resistance in an Influenza A strain isolated from the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Overall, the benchtop platforms perform well for identification of pathogens from a representative clinical sample. However, unlike identification, characterization of pathogens is likely to require higher titers, multiple libraries and/or multiple sequencing runs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Kimberly A Bishop-Lilly
- Naval Medical Research Center, NMRC-Frederick, 8400 Research Plaza, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21702, USA.
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20
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Wadle S, Rubenwolf S, Lehnert M, Faltin B, Weidmann M, Hufert F, Zengerle R, von Stetten F. Mediator probe PCR: detection of real-time PCR by label-free probes and a universal fluorogenic reporter. Methods Mol Biol 2014; 1160:55-73. [PMID: 24740221 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0733-5_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Mediator probe PCR (MP PCR) is a novel detection format for real-time nucleic acid analysis. Label-free mediator probes (MP) and fluorogenic universal reporter (UR) oligonucleotides are combined to accomplish signal generation. Compared to conventional hydrolysis probe PCRs costs can thus be saved by using the same fluorogenic UR for signal generation in different assays. This tutorial provides a practical guideline to MP and UR design. MP design rules are very similar to those of hydrolysis probes. The major difference is in the replacement of the fluorophore and quencher by one UR-specific sequence tag, the mediator. Further protocols for the setup of reactions, to detect either DNA or RNA targets with clinical diagnostic target detection as models, are explained. Ready to use designs for URs are suggested and guidelines for their de novo design are provided as well, including a protocol for UR signal generation characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Wadle
- Laboratory for MEMS Applications, IMTEK-Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Georges-Koehler-Allee 103, 79110, Freiburg, Germany,
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21
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Gardner SN, Jaing CJ. Bioinformatics for microbial genotyping of equine encephalitis viruses, orthopoxviruses, and hantaviruses. J Virol Methods 2013; 193:112-20. [PMID: 23714768 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2013.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2012] [Revised: 04/18/2013] [Accepted: 04/29/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Microbial genotyping is essential for forensic discrimination of pathogen strains, tracing epidemics, and understanding evolutionary processes. Phylogenetic analyses were performed and genotyping assays designed for five viral species complexes or genera: Western, Eastern, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses, hantavirus segments L, M, and S, and orthopoxviruses. For each group, sequence alignments and phylogenetic trees were built. PCR signatures composed of primer pairs or TaqMan™ triplets were designed and mapped to nodes of the trees for sub-type or strain specific PCR-based identification. In addition, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified and mapped to trees, and SNP microarray probes were designed to enable highly multiplexed genotyping of an unsequenced sample by hybridization. SNP-based trees corresponded well with MSA trees. Near-perfect isolate resolution was possible for all viruses analyzed computationally using either SNPs or PCR signatures. More tree nodes were represented by SNP loci than by PCR signatures, as PCR signatures often represented subsets of strains not corresponding to a branch. However, while PCR genotyping is possible, the number of PCR signatures needed to characterize an unknown can be very large. SNP microarrays are a suitable alternative, as arrays enable highly multiplexed, high resolution genotyping of an unknown in a single hybridization assay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shea N Gardner
- Global Security, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, United States.
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22
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Development of a rapid total nucleic acid extraction method for the isolation of hepatitis A virus from fresh produce. Int J Food Microbiol 2013; 161:143-50. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2012.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2012] [Revised: 12/12/2012] [Accepted: 12/19/2012] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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Gans JD, Dunbar J, Eichorst SA, Gallegos-Graves LV, Wolinsky M, Kuske CR. A robust PCR primer design platform applied to the detection of Acidobacteria Group 1 in soil. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:e96. [PMID: 22434885 PMCID: PMC3384349 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2011] [Revised: 01/18/2012] [Accepted: 02/29/2012] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Environmental biosurveillance and microbial ecology studies use PCR-based assays to detect and quantify microbial taxa and gene sequences within a complex background of microorganisms. However, the fragmentary nature and growing quantity of DNA-sequence data make group-specific assay design challenging. We solved this problem by developing a software platform that enables PCR-assay design at an unprecedented scale. As a demonstration, we developed quantitative PCR assays for a globally widespread, ecologically important bacterial group in soil, Acidobacteria Group 1. A total of 33,684 Acidobacteria 16S rRNA gene sequences were used for assay design. Following 1 week of computation on a 376-core cluster, 83 assays were obtained. We validated the specificity of the top three assays, collectively predicted to detect 42% of the Acidobacteria Group 1 sequences, by PCR amplification and sequencing of DNA from soil. Based on previous analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, Acidobacteria Group 1 species were expected to decrease in response to elevated atmospheric CO(2). Quantitative PCR results, using the Acidobacteria Group 1-specific PCR assays, confirmed the expected decrease and provided higher statistical confidence than the 16S rRNA gene-sequencing data. These results demonstrate a powerful capacity to address previously intractable assay design challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Gans
- Bioscience Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA.
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24
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Chou KX, Williams-Hill DM. WITHDRAWN: Improved TaqMan real-time assays for detecting hepatitis A virus. J Virol Methods 2012:S0166-0934(12)00208-X. [PMID: 22728275 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2012.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2012] [Revised: 06/08/2012] [Accepted: 06/13/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyson X Chou
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Pacific Regional Laboratory Southwest, 19701 Fairchild, Irvine, California 92612, USA
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25
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Hysom DA, Naraghi-Arani P, Elsheikh M, Carrillo AC, Williams PL, Gardner SN. Skip the alignment: degenerate, multiplex primer and probe design using K-mer matching instead of alignments. PLoS One 2012; 7:e34560. [PMID: 22485178 PMCID: PMC3317645 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2011] [Accepted: 03/05/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
PriMux is a new software package for selecting multiplex compatible, degenerate primers and probes to detect diverse targets such as viruses. It requires no multiple sequence alignment, instead applying k-mer algorithms, hence it scales well for large target sets and saves user effort from curating sequences into alignable groups. PriMux has the capability to predict degenerate primers as well as probes suitable for TaqMan or other primer/probe triplet assay formats, or simply probes for microarray or other single-oligo assay formats. PriMux employs suffix array methods for efficient calculations on oligos 10-~100 nt in length. TaqMan® primers and probes for each segment of Rift Valley fever virus were designed using PriMux, and lab testing comparing signatures designed using PriMux versus those designed using traditional methods demonstrated equivalent or better sensitivity for the PriMux-designed signatures compared to traditional signatures. In addition, we used PriMux to design TaqMan® primers and probes for unalignable or poorly alignable groups of targets: that is, all segments of Rift Valley fever virus analyzed as a single target set of 198 sequences, or all 2863 Dengue virus genomes for all four serotypes available at the time of our analysis. The PriMux software is available as open source from http://sourceforge.net/projects/PriMux.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Hysom
- Computations, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Pejman Naraghi-Arani
- Physics and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Maher Elsheikh
- Physics and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - A. Celena Carrillo
- Physics and Life Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
| | - Peter L. Williams
- Joint Genome Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Walnut Creek, California, United States of America
| | - Shea N. Gardner
- Computations, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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26
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Direct sequencing of hepatitis A virus and norovirus RT-PCR products from environmentally contaminated oyster using M13-tailed primers. J Virol Methods 2011; 178:253-7. [PMID: 21963395 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2011.09.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2011] [Revised: 09/09/2011] [Accepted: 09/15/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Human norovirus (HuNoV) and hepatitis A (HAV) are recognized as leading causes of non-bacterial foodborne associated illnesses in the United States. DNA sequencing is generally considered the standard for accurate viral genotyping in support of epidemiological investigations. Due to the genetic diversity of noroviruses (NoV), degenerate primer sets are often used in conventional reverse transcription (RT) PCR and real-time RT-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) for the detection of these viruses and cDNA fragments are generally cloned prior to sequencing. HAV detection methods that are sensitive and specific for real-time RT-qPCR yields small fragments sizes of 89-150bp, which can be difficult to sequence. In order to overcome these obstacles, norovirus and HAV primers were tailed with M13 forward and reverse primers. This modification increases the sequenced product size and allows for direct sequencing of the amplicons utilizing complementary M13 primers. HuNoV and HAV cDNA products from environmentally contaminated oysters were analyzed using this method. Alignments of the sequenced samples revealed ≥95% nucleotide identities. Tailing NoV and HAV primers with M13 sequence increases the cDNA product size, offers an alternative to cloning, and allows for rapid, accurate and direct sequencing of cDNA products produced by conventional or real time RT-qPCR assays.
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Yan CS, Hanafi I, Kelleher AD, Carr AD, Amin J, McNally LP, Cunningham PH. Lack of correlation between three commercial platforms for the evaluation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) viral load at the clinically critical lower limit of quantification. J Clin Virol 2010; 49:249-53. [PMID: 20884287 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcv.2010.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2010] [Revised: 07/06/2010] [Accepted: 08/28/2010] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Concordance in plasma HIV-1 viral load quantification at the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) is crucial for current commercial assays. OBJECTIVE To compare the performance of three commercial viral load assays and carry out a correlation study with the Roche Cobas AmpliPrep/Cobas TaqMan HIV-1 test, the Roche Cobas Amplicor HIV-1 MONITOR test, and the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay. STUDY DESIGN Assay agreement was analyzed using linear regression and Bland-Altman plots. Concordance near the clinically critical LLOQ was measured by Cohen's kappa statistics. Intra-assay precision was assessed, and assay reproducibility was measured at 50copies/mL across all three platforms. RESULTS While good overall correlation was observed between the assays (r≥0.93), quantitative differences exceeded 0.5log(10)copies/mL among paired results in 3.7 to 8.3% of specimens. The degree of concordance between the assays near the LLOQ was unsatisfactory, with Cohen's kappa ranging from 0.14 to 0.38. The intra-assay precision of the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay ranged from 0.04 to 0.15 (SD log(10)) and 1.34% to 8.37% (CV). Reproducibility at 50copies/mL for RealTime HIV-1, TaqMan, and Amplicor was 10.05, 11.04 and 5.07 (% CV), respectively. CONCLUSION Although good correlation was observed between the assays across their linear range, their concordance at the clinically critical LLOQ was poor. The accurate quantification of low-level viremia remains elusive, and the lack of correlation of these assays presents a challenge to the interpretation of such results and in the clinical management of HIV-infected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celine S Yan
- New South Wales State Reference Laboratory for HIV, St Vincent Hospital, Sydney, Australia.
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28
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Li P, Ruel T, Fujimoto K, Hatano H, Yukl S, Eller LA, Liegler T, Kamya M, Gassasira A, Dorsey G, Rosenthal PJ, Havlir DV, Wong JK. Novel application of Locked Nucleic Acid chemistry for a Taqman assay for measuring diverse human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtypes. J Virol Methods 2010; 170:115-20. [PMID: 20863855 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2010.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2009] [Revised: 09/10/2010] [Accepted: 09/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There remains a need for sensitive and cost-effective assays to monitor therapy in human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection. However, the genetic diversity of HIV poses difficulties for traditional real-time PCR assays that require long oligonucleotides probes. LNA™ probes may be useful in overcoming these limits to traditional probe design. A new application of LNA™ chemistry in a Taqman assay applicable to a wide range of HIV-1 subtypes is described. This assay, based on a 13-mer LNA™ probe that matches the majority of HIV-1 sequences in the Los Alamos database, exhibited a wide dynamic range (10(1)-10(7) copies of HIV DNA), high sensitivity (limit of detection of 1 copy of HIV DNA in 10(5) cells), and broad applicability to a range of HIV-1 subtypes (including A, B, C, D, F, H, B/C, and A/E CRFs). Using the LNA™ probe assay, HIV-1 DNA was detected in all dried blood spots (DBS) from treatment naïve HIV-1 positive Ugandan children, and HIV DNA levels significantly correlated with viral RNA levels in plasma (r=0.765, p<0.0001). This approach to Taqman probe design should be explored further for use in diagnosis and monitoring of HIV in resource-limited settings, especially where several subtypes co-circulate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peilin Li
- University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), Department of Medicine, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
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Meeus I, Smagghe G, Siede R, Jans K, de Graaf DC. Multiplex RT-PCR with broad-range primers and an exogenous internal amplification control for the detection of honeybee viruses in bumblebees. J Invertebr Pathol 2010; 105:200-3. [PMID: 20600092 DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2010.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2010] [Revised: 06/17/2010] [Accepted: 06/23/2010] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Bumblebees are commercially reared and transported worldwide mainly for pollination of greenhouse tomatoes. Three honeybee viruses have been reported in bumblebees: Acute bee paralysis virus, Kashmir bee virus and Deformed wing virus. We developed a multiplex RT-PCR with primers designed on highly conserved regions of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase in order to detect a maximum range of viral variants. Rearing facilities and governmental organizations can now thoroughly screen bumblebee colonies with a cost-effective technique with an integrated internal amplification control (IAC) implementable in laboratories that strive for International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Meeus
- Laboratory of Agrozoology, Department of Crop Protection, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium.
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DePaola A, Jones JL, Woods J, Burkhardt W, Calci KR, Krantz JA, Bowers JC, Kasturi K, Byars RH, Jacobs E, Williams-Hill D, Nabe K. Bacterial and viral pathogens in live oysters: 2007 United States market survey. Appl Environ Microbiol 2010; 76:2754-68. [PMID: 20190085 PMCID: PMC2863423 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02590-09] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2009] [Accepted: 02/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Two samples of market oysters, primarily from retail establishments, were collected twice each month in each of nine states during 2007. Samples were shipped refrigerated overnight to five U.S. Food and Drug Administration laboratories on a rotating basis and analyzed by most probable number (MPN) for total and pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus numbers and for the presence of toxigenic V. cholerae, Salmonella spp., norovirus (NoV), and hepatitis A virus (HAV). Levels of indicator organisms, including fecal coliforms (MPN), Escherichia coli (MPN), male-specific bacteriophage, and aerobic plate counts, were also determined. V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus levels were distributed seasonally and geographically by harvest region and were similar to levels observed in a previous study conducted in 1998-1999. Levels of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus were typically several logs lower than total V. parahaemolyticus levels regardless of season or region. Pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus levels in the Gulf and Mid-Atlantic regions were about two logs greater than the levels observed in the Pacific and North Atlantic regions. Pathogens generally associated with fecal pollution were detected sporadically or not at all (toxigenic V. cholerae, 0%; Salmonella, 1.5%; NoV, 3.9%; HAV, 4.4%). While seasonal prevalences of NoV and HAV were generally greater in oysters harvested from December to March, the low detection frequency obscured any apparent seasonal effects. Overall, there was no relationship between the levels of indicator microorganisms and the presence of enteric viruses. These data provide a baseline that can be used to further validate risk assessment predictions, determine the effectiveness of new control measures, and compare the level of protection provided by the U.S. shellfish sanitation system to those in other countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo DePaola
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory, Dauphin Island, Alabama 36528-0158, USA.
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Zhang N, Appella DH. Advantages of peptide nucleic acids as diagnostic platforms for detection of nucleic acids in resource-limited settings. J Infect Dis 2010; 201 Suppl 1:S42-5. [PMID: 20225945 DOI: 10.1086/650389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Peptide nucleic acids are a class of nondegradable oligonucleotide mimics that can be used as probes for nucleic acid sequences and could convey the necessary stability to be a diagnostic tool for use in a resource-limited setting. In this review, there is a brief introduction to the field of peptide nucleic acids and their potential benefits as probes for DNA and RNA sequences, followed by highlights of ways by which peptide nucleic acids could benefit a number of established diagnostic tools for human immunodeficiency virus detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Zhang
- Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Garbarine E, Rosen G. An information theoretic method of microarray probe design for genome classification. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY. ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2009; 2008:3779-82. [PMID: 19163534 DOI: 10.1109/iembs.2008.4650031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, oligo microarrays, or more commonly-known DNA chips, have had a major impact in disease diagnosis, drug discovery, and gene identification. Microarrays contain Nmer DNA fragments, or oligos, in a series of 'wells' placed across the chip, where each well contains thousands of the same fragments and acts as a probe that detects the amount of a specific fragment. A recent use for microarrays is for identification of genomes, such as pathogens. In current techniques, probes that detect unique gene regions of particular species are selected to be placed on the microarray, using the assumption that if one gene unique to a pathogen species can be detected, then the pathogen can be classified. This approach is useful, but the technology relies on finding the gene sequences that are divergent enough to be used as a genomic identifier and robust to cross-hybridization. In our work, we present a method to choose the most unique probes between two organisms. We accomplish this by choosing the oligo probes that maximize the level of divergence between the genomes, calculated by three different information-theoretic measures. We show the results for a 12-mer and 25-mer oligo pathogen probe set and that our method chooses probes less likely to cross-hybridize.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine Garbarine
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19130, USA.
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Duitama J, Kumar DM, Hemphill E, Khan M, Mandoiu II, Nelson CE. PrimerHunter: a primer design tool for PCR-based virus subtype identification. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 37:2483-92. [PMID: 19264805 PMCID: PMC2677861 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid and reliable virus subtype identification is critical for accurate diagnosis of human infections, effective response to epidemic outbreaks and global-scale surveillance of highly pathogenic viral subtypes such as avian influenza H5N1. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become the method of choice for virus subtype identification. However, designing subtype-specific PCR primer pairs is a very challenging task: on one hand, selected primer pairs must result in robust amplification in the presence of a significant degree of sequence heterogeneity within subtypes, on the other, they must discriminate between the subtype of interest and closely related subtypes. In this article, we present a new tool, called PrimerHunter, that can be used to select highly sensitive and specific primers for virus subtyping. Our tool takes as input sets of both target and nontarget sequences. Primers are selected such that they efficiently amplify any one of the target sequences, and none of the nontarget sequences. PrimerHunter ensures the desired amplification properties by using accurate estimates of melting temperature with mismatches, computed based on the nearest neighbor model via an efficient fractional programming algorithm. Validation experiments with three avian influenza HA subtypes confirm that primers selected by PrimerHunter have high sensitivity and specificity for target sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorge Duitama
- Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Connecticut, Unit 2155, Storrs, CT 06269-2155, USA
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34
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Xu S, Song A, Nie J, Li X, Li J, Bao Z, Wang Y. Comparative evaluation of the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV type 1 test (CAP/CTM) and VERSANT HIV type 1 RNA 3.0 assay (bDNA) for quantifying HIV type 1 viral loads in China. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2008; 24:1365-73. [PMID: 18928395 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2008.0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In the present study, 277 clinical samples from untreated and treated HIV-1-infected patients with different clades were used to assess the agreement between the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HIV-1 test (CAP/CTM) and VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 3.0 Assay (bDNA). A qualitative comparison of the results of the two assays showed concordance for 255 positive and 15 negative samples (94.95%, kappa = 0.798). However, seven samples with viral loads close to the lower limit of detection for CAP/CTM were negative by bDNA. A significant correlation (r = 0.881, p < 0.001) was observed for 253 samples with viral loads within the dynamic ranges of the two assays, and Bland-Altman analysis showed good agreement (96.05%) between the two assays for these 253 samples [mean (+/-2 SD), 0.389(-0.385, 1.163)]. Furthermore, ART drugs had no impact on the performances of the two assays. For samples with different clades predominant in China, the fitted regression line differed significantly from the line of equality, although significant correlations (r = 0.850-0.891, p < 0.001) and good agreements (92.86-97.25%) were found for the two assays. The mean differences for clade B' and BC samples were significant (p < 0.01). Good precision for clade B' samples was achieved for the CAP/CTM (CV: 20.73%) and bDNA (CV: 12.19%) assays. Furthermore, for clades B', BC, and AE, both assays exhibited good linearities (r = 0.9773-0.9998). Thus, the CAP/CTM and bDNA assays could be useful for quantifying HIV-1 RNA in routine clinical samples and monitoring viral loads in treated and untreated HIV-infected patients in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sihong Xu
- Department of Cell Biology, National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, Beijing 100050, P.R. China
| | - Aijing Song
- Department of Cell Biology, National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, Beijing 100050, P.R. China
| | - Jianhui Nie
- Department of Cell Biology, National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, Beijing 100050, P.R. China
| | - Xiuhua Li
- Department of Cell Biology, National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, Beijing 100050, P.R. China
| | - Jingyun Li
- Center of AIDS, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Science, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
| | - Zuoyi Bao
- Center of AIDS, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Academy of Military Medical Science, Beijing 100071, P.R. China
| | - Youchun Wang
- Department of Cell Biology, National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, Beijing 100050, P.R. China
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Lemmon GH, Gardner SN. Predicting the sensitivity and specificity of published real-time PCR assays. Ann Clin Microbiol Antimicrob 2008; 7:18. [PMID: 18817537 PMCID: PMC2566554 DOI: 10.1186/1476-0711-7-18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2008] [Accepted: 09/25/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In recent years real-time PCR has become a leading technique for nucleic acid detection and quantification. These assays have the potential to greatly enhance efficiency in the clinical laboratory. Choice of primer and probe sequences is critical for accurate diagnosis in the clinic, yet current primer/probe signature design strategies are limited, and signature evaluation methods are lacking. METHODS We assessed the quality of a signature by predicting the number of true positive, false positive and false negative hits against all available public sequence data. We found real-time PCR signatures described in recent literature and used a BLAST search based approach to collect all hits to the primer-probe combinations that should be amplified by real-time PCR chemistry. We then compared our hits with the sequences in the NCBI taxonomy tree that the signature was designed to detect. RESULTS We found that many published signatures have high specificity (almost no false positives) but low sensitivity (high false negative rate). Where high sensitivity is needed, we offer a revised methodology for signature design which may designate that multiple signatures are required to detect all sequenced strains. We use this methodology to produce new signatures that are predicted to have higher sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION We show that current methods for real-time PCR assay design have unacceptably low sensitivities for most clinical applications. Additionally, as new sequence data becomes available, old assays must be reassessed and redesigned. A standard protocol for both generating and assessing the quality of these assays is therefore of great value. Real-time PCR has the capacity to greatly improve clinical diagnostics. The improved assay design and evaluation methods presented herein will expedite adoption of this technique in the clinical lab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon H Lemmon
- Center for Structural Biology, Vanderbilt University, 465 21st Ave. South, BIOSCI/MRB III suite 5140, Nashville, TN 37240, USA.
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36
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Allen JE, Gardner SN, Slezak TR. DNA signatures for detecting genetic engineering in bacteria. Genome Biol 2008; 9:R56. [PMID: 18348716 PMCID: PMC2397508 DOI: 10.1186/gb-2008-9-3-r56] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2007] [Revised: 12/10/2007] [Accepted: 03/18/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
New computational tools were used to find a robust set of DNA oligomers that can distinguish artificial vector sequences from all available background viral and bacterial genomes. Using newly designed computational tools we show that, despite substantial shared sequences between natural plasmids and artificial vector sequences, a robust set of DNA oligomers can be identified that can differentiate artificial vector sequences from all available background viral and bacterial genomes and natural plasmids. We predict that these tools can achieve very high sensitivity and specificity rates for detecting new unsequenced vectors in microarray-based bioassays. Such DNA signatures could be important in detecting genetically engineered bacteria in environmental samples.
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37
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Pittaluga F, Allice T, Abate ML, Ciancio A, Cerutti F, Varetto S, Colucci G, Smedile A, Ghisetti V. Clinical evaluation of the COBAS Ampliprep/COBAS TaqMan for HCV RNA quantitation in comparison with the branched-DNA assay. J Med Virol 2008; 80:254-60. [PMID: 18098148 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.21073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Diagnosis and monitoring of HCV infection relies on sensitive and accurate HCV RNA detection and quantitation. The performance of the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan 48 (CAP/CTM) (Roche, Branchburg, NJ), a fully automated, real-time PCR HCV RNA quantitative test was assessed and compared with the branched-DNA (bDNA) assay. Clinical evaluation on 576 specimens obtained from patients with chronic hepatitis C showed a good correlation (r = 0.893) between the two test, but the CAP/CTM scored higher HCV RNA titers than the bDNA across all viral genotypes. The mean bDNA versus CAP/CTM log10 IU/ml differences were -0.49, -0.4, -0.54, -0.26 for genotype 1a, 1b, 2a/2c, 3a, and 4, respectively. These differences reached statistical significance for genotypes 1b, 2a/c, and 3a. The ability of the CAP/CTM to monitor patients undergoing antiviral therapy and correctly identify the weeks 4 and 12 rapid and early virological responses was confirmed. The broader dynamic range of the CAP/CTM compared with the bDNA allowed for a better definition of viral kinetics. In conclusion, the CAP/CTM appears as a reliable and user-friendly assay to monitor HCV viremia during treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis. Its high sensitivity and wide dynamic range may help a better definition of viral load changes during antiviral therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizia Pittaluga
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Molinette Hospital, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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38
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Tang N, Huang S, Salituro J, Mak WB, Cloherty G, Johanson J, Li YH, Schneider G, Robinson J, Hackett J, Swanson P, Abravaya K. A RealTime HIV-1 viral load assay for automated quantitation of HIV-1 RNA in genetically diverse group M subtypes A–H, group O and group N samples. J Virol Methods 2007; 146:236-45. [PMID: 17707519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2007.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2007] [Revised: 07/03/2007] [Accepted: 07/09/2007] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay is an automated test for monitoring HIV-1 viral load in plasma samples. The assay uses reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technology with homogeneous real-time fluorescent detection. Automated sample preparation is performed on the m2000sp instrument where RNA is isolated using magnetic microparticle technology and dispensed to a PCR tray together with the amplification reagents. The PCR tray is then transferred to the Abbott m2000rt instrument for amplification and real-time detection. The assay utilizes two distinct sets of primers and probes for HIV-1 and for internal control (IC). The IC is processed along with each sample to control for sample recovery and inhibition. The HIV-1 primer and probe sequences are targeted to the integrase (IN) region of the polymerase (pol) gene. Due to the selection of a highly conserved target region and a novel, mismatch tolerant probe design, the assay can quantitate HIV-1 group M subtypes A-H, group O, and group N isolates. The assay provides high reproducibility and a wide dynamic range, allowing quantitation from 40 copies to 10 million copies of HIV-1 RNA per milliliter of plasma. HIV-1 RNA concentrations detected with 95% probability were 25copies/mL with 1.0mL of plasma, 39copies/mL with 0.6mL of plasma, 65copies/mL with 0.5mL of plasma, and 119copies/mL with 0.2mL of plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Tang
- Abbott Molecular Inc., D-9ND, Bldg. DP1, 1300 E Touhy Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018-3315, USA
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39
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Phillippy AM, Mason JA, Ayanbule K, Sommer DD, Taviani E, Huq A, Colwell RR, Knight IT, Salzberg SL. Comprehensive DNA signature discovery and validation. PLoS Comput Biol 2007; 3:e98. [PMID: 17511514 PMCID: PMC1868776 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.0030098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2007] [Accepted: 04/18/2007] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
DNA signatures are nucleotide sequences that can be used to detect the presence of an organism and to distinguish that organism from all other species. Here we describe Insignia, a new, comprehensive system for the rapid identification of signatures in the genomes of bacteria and viruses. With the availability of hundreds of complete bacterial and viral genome sequences, it is now possible to use computational methods to identify signature sequences in all of these species, and to use these signatures as the basis for diagnostic assays to detect and genotype microbes in both environmental and clinical samples. The success of such assays critically depends on the methods used to identify signatures that properly differentiate between the target genomes and the sample background. We have used Insignia to compute accurate signatures for most bacterial genomes and made them available through our Web site. A sample of these signatures has been successfully tested on a set of 46 Vibrio cholerae strains, and the results indicate that the signatures are highly sensitive for detection as well as specific for discrimination between these strains and their near relatives. Our approach, whereby the entire genomic complement of organisms are compared to identify probe targets, is a promising method for diagnostic assay development, and it provides assay designers with the flexibility to choose probes from the most relevant genes or genomic regions. The Insignia system is freely accessible via a Web interface and has been released as open source software at: http://insignia.cbcb.umd.edu. Now that the genome sequences of hundreds of bacteria and viruses are known, we can design tests that will rapidly detect the presence of these species based solely on their DNA. Such tests have a wide range of applications, from diagnosing infections to detecting harmful microbes in a water supply. These tests can detect a pathogen in a complex mixture of organic material by recognizing short, distinguishing sequences—called DNA signatures—that occur in the pathogen and not in any other species. We present Insignia, a new computational system that identifies DNA signatures of any length in bacterial and viral genomes. Insignia uses highly efficient algorithms to compare sequenced bacterial and viral genomes against each other and to additional background genomes including plants, animals, and human. These comparisons are stored in a database and used to rapidly compute signatures for any particular target species. To maximize its utility for the community, we have made Insignia available as free, open-source software and as a Web application. We have also validated 50 Insignia-designed assays on a panel of 46 strains of Vibrio cholerae, and our results show that the signatures are both sensitive and specific.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam M Phillippy
- Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America.
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40
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Luk KC, Devare SG, Hackett JR. Partially double-stranded linear DNA probes: novel design for sensitive detection of genetically polymorphic targets. J Virol Methods 2007; 144:1-11. [PMID: 17434605 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2007.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2006] [Revised: 03/09/2007] [Accepted: 03/12/2007] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Genetically polymorphic targets present a significant challenge to the reliability of detection and quantification by nucleic acid-based assays. A probe system with enhanced mismatch tolerance would be advantageous for such applications. The present study introduces a novel class of DNA probes, designated as partially double-stranded linear probes, composed of a long target-specific strand 5' labeled with a fluorophore and a markedly shorter quencher strand, complementary to the 5' end of the target-specific strand, that is 3' end-labeled with a quencher moiety. The utility of this probe system for sensitive detection of amplification products was demonstrated in a real-time PCR format. Comparison of multiple partially double-stranded linear probe combinations revealed that increased asymmetry in strand length was associated with improved mismatch tolerance. Notably, for a 45-mer/11-mer combination, the difference in threshold cycle values obtained for a perfectly matched target and one containing six mismatches was <1.5 cycles. The capacity for superior mismatch tolerance, ease of design, simplicity and flexibility of application are characteristics that make this new class of probes a desirable alternative for homogeneous detection of targets with a high level of genetic heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ka-Cheung Luk
- Abbott Diagnostics, AIDS Research and Retrovirus Discovery, Abbott Park, IL 60064, USA
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41
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Swanson P, Huang S, Abravaya K, de Mendoza C, Soriano V, Devare SG, Hackett J. Evaluation of performance across the dynamic range of the Abbott RealTime™ HIV-1 assay as compared to VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 3.0 and AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR v1.5 using serial dilutions of 39 group M and O viruses. J Virol Methods 2007; 141:49-57. [PMID: 17184853 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2006.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2006] [Revised: 11/14/2006] [Accepted: 11/20/2006] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Performance of the Abbott m2000 instrument system and the Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay was evaluated using a panel of 37 group M (subtypes A-D, F, G, CRF01_AE, CRF02_AG and unique recombinant forms) and 2 group O virus isolates. Testing was performed on 273 sample dilutions and compared to VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 3.0 (bDNA) and AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR v1.5 (Monitor v1.5) test results. RealTime HIV-1, bDNA, and Monitor v1.5 tests quantified 87%, 78%, and 81% of samples, respectively. RealTime HIV-1 detected an additional 31 samples at < 40 copies/mL. For group M, RealTime HIV-1 dilution profiles and viral loads were highly correlated with bDNA and Monitor v1.5 values; 87% and 89% of values were within 0.5 log(10) copies/mL. In contrast, the group O viruses were not detected by Monitor v1.5 and were substantially underquantified by approximately 2 log(10) copies/mL in bDNA relative to the RealTime HIV-1 assay. Sequence analysis revealed that RealTime HIV-1 primer/probe binding sites are highly conserved and exhibit fewer nucleotide mismatches relative to Monitor v1.5. The automated m2000 system and RealTime HIV-1 assay offer the advantages of efficient sample processing and throughput with reduced "hands-on" time while providing improved sensitivity, expanded dynamic range and reliable quantification of genetically diverse HIV-1 strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Swanson
- Abbott Diagnostics, AIDS Research and Retrovirus Discovery, D-09NG, Bldg. AP20, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064-6015, USA
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42
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Swanson P, Holzmayer V, Huang S, Hay P, Adebiyi A, Rice P, Abravaya K, Thamm S, Devare SG, Hackett J. Performance of the automated Abbott RealTime™ HIV-1 assay on a genetically diverse panel of specimens from London: Comparison to VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 3.0, AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR v1.5, and LCx® HIV RNA Quantitative assays. J Virol Methods 2006; 137:184-92. [PMID: 16876263 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2006.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2006] [Revised: 06/06/2006] [Accepted: 06/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Automated RNA extraction and quantitation of HIV-1 by real-time PCR offer potential advantages of efficient sample processing, improved sensitivity, expanded dynamic range and reduced contamination risk. In this study, plasma was collected from 100 HIV-1 infected patients visiting The Courtyard Clinic of St. George's Hospital in London, United Kingdom (UK). Viral loads measured using the automated Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay (m2000sp sample preparation and m2000rt amplification and detection instruments) were compared to results obtained with Versant HIV-1 RNA 3.0 (bDNA), AMPLICOR HIV-1 MONITOR v1.5 (Monitor v1.5) and LCx HIV RNA Quantitative (LCx HIV) assays. Based on gag p24, pol integrase, and env gp41 sequences, the panel included 26 subtype A, 20 B, 27 C, 10 D, 1 CRF01_AE, 3 CRF02_AG and 13 recombinant viruses. RealTime HIV-1, bDNA, Monitor v1.5 and LCx HIV quantitated 82, 74, 82, and 83% of samples, respectively, with 82, 71, 69 and 80 of the 100 samples measured within the dynamic ranges. Viral loads were highly correlated with 99% of values within 1 log(10) copies/ml between tests. The automated m2000 system and RealTime HIV-1 assay can increase laboratory throughput, enhance overall efficiency and reduce operator-associated errors while providing reliable quantitation of genetically diverse strains of HIV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Swanson
- Abbott Laboratories, AIDS Research and Retrovirus Discovery, D-09NG, Bldg. AP20, 100 Abbott Park Road, Abbott Park, IL 60064-6015, USA
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43
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Welzel TM, Miley WJ, Parks TL, Goedert JJ, Whitby D, Ortiz-Conde BA. Real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of hepatitis B virus genotypes A to G. J Clin Microbiol 2006; 44:3325-33. [PMID: 16954268 PMCID: PMC1594718 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00024-06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The detection and quantification of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA play an important role in diagnosing and monitoring HBV infection as well as assessing therapeutic response. The great variability among HBV genotypes and the enormous range of clinical HBV DNA levels present challenges for PCR-based amplification techniques. In this study, we describe the development, evaluation, and validation of a novel real-time PCR assay designed to provide accurate quantification of DNA from all eight HBV genotypes in patient plasma specimens. A computer algorithm was used to design degenerate real-time PCR primers and probes based upon a large number (n = 340) of full-length genomic sequences including HBV genotypes A to H from Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. Genotype performance was tested and confirmed using 59 genotype A to G specimens from two commercially available worldwide genotype panels. This assay has a dynamic range of at least 8 log(10) without the need for specimen dilution, good clinical intra- and interassay precision, and excellent correlation with the Bayer Diagnostics VERSANT HBV DNA 3.0 (branched DNA) assay (r = 0.93). Probit analysis determined the 95% detection level was 56 IU/ml, corresponding to 11 copies per PCR well. The high sensitivity, wide linear range, good reproducibility, and genotype inclusivity, combined with a small sample volume requirement and low cost, make this novel quantitative HBV real-time PCR assay particularly well suited for application to large clinical and epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania M Welzel
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland 20892, USA
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44
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Malanoski AP, Lin B, Wang Z, Schnur JM, Stenger DA. Automated identification of multiple micro-organisms from resequencing DNA microarrays. Nucleic Acids Res 2006; 34:5300-11. [PMID: 17012284 PMCID: PMC1636417 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkl565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an increasing recognition that detailed nucleic acid sequence information will be useful and even required in the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of many significant pathogens. Because generating detailed information about pathogens leads to significantly larger amounts of data, it is necessary to develop automated analysis methods to reduce analysis time and to standardize identification criteria. This is especially important for multiple pathogen assays designed to reduce assay time and costs. In this paper, we present a successful algorithm for detecting pathogens and reporting the maximum level of detail possible using multi-pathogen resequencing microarrays. The algorithm filters the sequence of base calls from the microarray and finds entries in genetic databases that most closely match. Taxonomic databases are then used to relate these entries to each other so that the microorganism can be identified. Although developed using a resequencing microarray, the approach is applicable to any assay method that produces base call sequence information. The success and continued development of this approach means that a non-expert can now perform unassisted analysis of the results obtained from partial sequence data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony P Malanoski
- Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Code 6900, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375, USA.
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Rutjes SA, Lodder-Verschoor F, van der Poel WHM, van Duijnhoven YTHP, de Roda Husman AM. Detection of noroviruses in foods: a study on virus extraction procedures in foods implicated in outbreaks of human gastroenteritis. J Food Prot 2006; 69:1949-56. [PMID: 16924922 DOI: 10.4315/0362-028x-69.8.1949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Disease outbreaks in which foods are epidemiologically implicated as the common source are frequently reported. Noroviruses and enteric hepatitis A viruses are among the most prevalent causative agents of foodborne diseases. However, the detection of these viruses in foods other than shellfish is often time-consuming and unsuccessful. In this study, three virus concentration methods were compared: polyethylene glycol (PEG) plus NaCl, ultracentrifugation, and ultrafiltration. Two RNA extraction methods, TRIzol and RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen), were compared for detection of viruses in whipped cream and lettuce (as representatives of the dairy and vegetable-fruit food groups, respectively). A seeding experiment with canine calicivirus was conducted to determine the efficiency of each virus extraction procedure. The PEG-NaCl-TRIzol method was most efficient for the detection of viruses in whipped cream and the ultracentrifugation-RNeasy-Mini Kit procedure was best for detection on lettuce. Based on the seeding experiments, food items implicated in norovirus-associated gastroenteritis outbreaks were subjected to the optimal procedure for a specific composition and matrix. No noroviruses were detected in the implicated food items, possibly because the concentration of virus on the food item was too low or because of the presence of inhibitory factors. For each food group, a specific procedure is optimal. Inhibitory factors should be controlled in these procedures because they influence virus detection in food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia A Rutjes
- Microbiological Laboratory for Health Protection, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, P.O. Box 1/ Antonie van Leeuwenhoeklaan 9, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
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Lee DY, Shannon K, Beaudette LA. Detection of bacterial pathogens in municipal wastewater using an oligonucleotide microarray and real-time quantitative PCR. J Microbiol Methods 2006; 65:453-67. [PMID: 16239042 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2005.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2005] [Revised: 09/02/2005] [Accepted: 09/02/2005] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
As a first step toward building a comprehensive microarray, two low density DNA microarrays were constructed and evaluated for the accurate detection of wastewater pathogens. The first one involved the direct hybridization of wastewater microbial genomic DNA to the functional gene probes while the second involved PCR amplification of 23S ribosomal DNA. The genomic DNA microarray employed 10 functional genes as detection targets. Sensitivity of the microarray was determined to be approximately 1.0 microg of Esherichia coli genomic DNA, or 2 x 10(8) copies of the target gene, and only E. coli DNA was detected with the microarray assay using municipal raw sewage. Sensitivity of the microarray was enhanced approximately by 6 orders of magnitude when the target 23S rRNA gene sequences were PCR amplified with a novel universal primer set and allowed hybridization to 24 species-specific oligonucleotide probes. The minimum detection limit was estimated to be about 100 fg of E. coli genomic DNA or 1.4 x 10(2) copies of the 23S rRNA gene. The PCR amplified DNA microarray successfully detected multiple bacterial pathogens in wastewater. As a parallel study to verify efficiency of the DNA microarray, a real-time quantitative PCR assay was also developed based on the fluorescent TaqMan probes (Applied Biosystems).
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Affiliation(s)
- Dae-Young Lee
- Wastewater Technology Centre, Environment Canada, Burlington, Ontario
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Swanson P, Huang S, Holzmayer V, Bodelle P, Yamaguchi J, Brennan C, Badaro R, Brites C, Abravaya K, Devare SG, Hackett J. Performance of the automated Abbott RealTime HIV-1 assay on a genetically diverse panel of specimens from Brazil. J Virol Methods 2006; 134:237-43. [PMID: 16510195 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2006.01.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2005] [Revised: 01/11/2006] [Accepted: 01/17/2006] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The combination of automated sample preparation and real-time RT-PCR for measurement of HIV-1 viral load has the potential to significantly enhance throughput, reduce operator-associated error, and increase assay sensitivity and dynamic range. In this study, RNA was extracted from the plasma of 91 HIV-1 seropositive Brazilian blood donors using the Abbott m2000sp automated sample preparation system. Viral loads measured using the RealTime HIV-1 (RealTime HIV-1) assay and the Abbott m2000rt instrument were compared to values obtained in the LCx HIV RNA quantitative assay. Subtype was determined for 89 of 91 specimens by sequence/phylogenetic analysis of three genomic regions: gag p24, pol integrase, and env gp41. The panel included 69 subtype B, 1 C, 2 F, and 17 recombinant strains. Eighty-seven specimens were quantified by both assays. Two specimens were quantified only in RealTime HIV-1. Two additional specimens below the detection limit of both assays were also negative on PCR amplification. Viral load results were highly correlated, and good agreement was observed between assays with 90% of values within 0.5 log(10)copies/ml. The RealTime HIV-1 assay and m2000 system offer the advantages of automation while providing reliable quantification of diverse HIV strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Swanson
- Abbott Laboratories, AIDS Research and Retrovirus Discovery, Abbott Park, IL 60064, USA
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Garcia EP, Dowding LA, Stanton LW, Slepnev VI. Scalable transcriptional analysis routine--multiplexed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction platform for gene expression analysis and molecular diagnostics. J Mol Diagn 2005; 7:444-54. [PMID: 16237214 PMCID: PMC1888488 DOI: 10.1016/s1525-1578(10)60575-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the development of a new technology for simultaneous quantitative detection of multiple targets in a single sample. Scalable transcriptional analysis routine (STAR) represents a novel integration of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and capillary electrophoresis that allows detection of dozens of gene transcripts in a multiplexed format using amplicon size as an identifier for each target. STAR demonstrated similar or better sensitivity and precision compared to two commonly used methods, SYBR Green-based and TaqMan probe-based real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. STAR can be used as a flexible platform for building a variety of applications to monitor gene expression, from single gene assays to assays analyzing the expression level of multiple genes. Using severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) corona virus as a model system, STAR technology detected single copies of the viral genome in a two-gene multiplex. Blinded studies using RNA extracted from various tissues of a SARS-infected individual showed that STAR correctly identified all samples containing SARS virus and yielded negative results for non-SARS control samples. Using alternate priming strategies, STAR technology can be adapted to transcriptional profiling studies without requiring a priori sequence information. Thus, STAR technology offers a flexible platform for development of highly multiplexed assays in gene expression analysis and molecular diagnostics.
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Gardner SN, Lam MW, Smith JR, Torres CL, Slezak TR. Draft versus finished sequence data for DNA and protein diagnostic signature development. Nucleic Acids Res 2005; 33:5838-50. [PMID: 16243783 PMCID: PMC1266063 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gki896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sequencing pathogen genomes is costly, demanding careful allocation of limited sequencing resources. We built a computational Sequencing Analysis Pipeline (SAP) to guide decisions regarding the amount of genomic sequencing necessary to develop high-quality diagnostic DNA and protein signatures. SAP uses simulations to estimate the number of target genomes and close phylogenetic relatives (near neighbors or NNs) to sequence. We use SAP to assess whether draft data are sufficient or finished sequencing is required using Marburg and variola virus sequences. Simulations indicate that intermediate to high-quality draft with error rates of 10−3–10−5 (∼8× coverage) of target organisms is suitable for DNA signature prediction. Low-quality draft with error rates of ∼1% (3× to 6× coverage) of target isolates is inadequate for DNA signature prediction, although low-quality draft of NNs is sufficient, as long as the target genomes are of high quality. For protein signature prediction, sequencing errors in target genomes substantially reduce the detection of amino acid sequence conservation, even if the draft is of high quality. In summary, high-quality draft of target and low-quality draft of NNs appears to be a cost-effective investment for DNA signature prediction, but may lead to underestimation of predicted protein signatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shea N Gardner
- Pathogen Bio-Informatics, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, PO Box 808, L-174, Livermore, CA 94551, USA.
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Jothikumar N, Cromeans TL, Robertson BH, Meng XJ, Hill VR. A broadly reactive one-step real-time RT-PCR assay for rapid and sensitive detection of hepatitis E virus. J Virol Methods 2005; 131:65-71. [PMID: 16125257 DOI: 10.1016/j.jviromet.2005.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 606] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2005] [Revised: 07/11/2005] [Accepted: 07/14/2005] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is transmitted by the fecal-oral route and causes sporadic and epidemic forms of acute hepatitis. Large waterborne HEV epidemics have been documented exclusively in developing countries. At least four major genotypes of HEV have been reported worldwide: genotype 1 (found primarily in Asian countries), genotype 2 (isolated from a single outbreak in Mexico), genotype 3 (identified in swine and humans in the United States and many other countries), and genotype 4 (identified in humans, swine and other animals in Asia). To better detect and quantitate different HEV strains that may be present in clinical and environmental samples, we developed a rapid and sensitive real-time RT-PCR assay for the detection of HEV RNA. Primers and probes for the real-time RT-PCR were selected based on the multiple sequence alignments of 27 sequences of the ORF3 region. Thirteen HEV isolates representing genotypes 1-4 were used to standardize the real-time RT-PCR assay. The TaqMan assay detected as few as four genome equivalent (GE) copies of HEV plasmid DNA and detected as low as 0.12 50% pig infectious dose (PID50) of swine HEV. Different concentrations of swine HEV (120-1.2PID50) spiked into a surface water concentrate were detected in the real-time RT-PCR assay. This is the first reporting of a broadly reactive TaqMan RT-PCR assay for the detection of HEV in clinical and environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narayanan Jothikumar
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Infectious Diseases, 4770 Buford Highway, Mailstop F-36, and Emory University, Department of Global Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
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