RESUMEN
A novel real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-rPCR) assay was developed to detect Aichivirus A (AiV-A) based on four complete genomes. The assay successfully detected AiV-A in a sample from a patient with acute gastroenteritis in January 2008. Screening of 756 samples submitted for norovirus testing during May 2008 detected a further 23 AiV-A-positive samples from 18 individual patients. Genotyping using novel primers targeting the 3C-3D junction region identified AiV-A genotype B. Further sequencing of the VP1 region supported the 3C-3D result. All three assays proved useful to support foodborne outbreak investigations. This is the first report of AiV-A detection in Australia.
RESUMEN
AbstractThe utility of applying infected Aedes aegypti to Flinders Technology Associates (FTA®) cards for storage, transport, and detection of dengue, Zika, and Barmah Forest viruses was assessed in laboratory-based experiments. The mosquitoes had been removed from Gravid Aedes Traps maintained under conditions of high temperature and humidity. RNA of all viruses could be detected in infected mosquitoes on FTA cards either individually or in pools with uninfected mosquitoes, and stored for up to 28 days. Importantly, there was only a minimal decrease in RNA levels in mosquitoes between days 0 and 28, indicating that viral RNA was relatively stable on the cards. FTA cards thus provide a mechanism for storing potentially infected mosquitoes collected in the field and transporting them to a central diagnostic facility for virus detection.