A Multiplex RT-PCR Method for the Detection of Reptarenavirus Infection.

Baggio, Francesca, Hetzel, Udo, Prähauser, Barbara, Dervas, Eva, Michalopoulou, Eleni, Thiele, Tanja, Kipar, Anja ORCID: 0000-0001-7289-3459 and Hepojoki, Jussi (2023) A Multiplex RT-PCR Method for the Detection of Reptarenavirus Infection. Viruses, 15 (12). p. 2313.

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/v15122313

Abstract

Reptarenaviruses cause Boid Inclusion Body Disease (BIBD), a fatal disease of boid snakes with an economic and ecological impact, as it affects both captive and wild constrictor snakes. The clinical picture of BIBD is highly variable but often only limited. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IB), which develop in most cell types including blood cells, are the pathognomonic hallmark of BIBD; their detection represents the diagnostic gold standard of the disease. However, IBs are not consistently present in clinically healthy reptarenavirus carriers, which can, if undetected, lead to and maintain the spread of the disease within and between snake populations. Sensitive viral detection tools are required for screening and control purposes; however, the genetic diversity of reptarenaviruses hampers the reverse transcription (RT) PCR-based diagnostics. Here, we describe a multiplex RT-PCR approach for the molecular diagnosis of reptarenavirus infection in blood samples. The method allows the detection of a wide range of reptarenaviruses with the detection limit reaching 40 copies per microliter of blood. Using 245 blood samples with a reference RT-PCR result, we show that the technique performs as well as the segment-specific RT-PCRs in our earlier studies. It can identify virus carriers and serve to limit reptarenavirus spreading in captive snake collections.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Animals, Boidae, Arenaviridae, Arenaviridae Infections, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, Reverse Transcription
Divisions:	Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	30 Jan 2024 10:18
Last Modified:	30 Jan 2024 10:59
DOI:	10.3390/v15122313
Open Access URL:	https://doi.org/10.3390/v15122313
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3178089