Test for Avian Flu Virus

Two new test kits are being launched globally for the detection of influenza and the avian flu virus H5N1, now threatening a flu pandemic.

The artus kit combines a broad screening test with a highly specific assay for the detection of characteristic nucleic acids (RNA) of avian flu H5N1 virus strains. The test is highly sensitive and requires only small amounts of a patient's sputum, throat, or nasal swabs to detect infection in less than two hours. The test can be run on the widely available LightCycler instrument of Roche (Basel, Switzerland). During the development of the test, the sequences of all H5N1 isolates known to date were considered. The second kit is a specific molecular detection kit for animals that targets veterinary import/export quarantine needs, initially launched in China in 2004. Both tests utilize real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology.

Both tests are the products of Qiagen N.V. (Venlo, The Netherlands). Among the advantages of the tests are that they offer breakthroughs in sensitivity, have an integrated control mechanism that dramatically reduces false-positives, and offer the most-rapid (under 75 minutes) molecular detection of the H5 and H5N1 viruses. The test for animals is the only PCR test for avian flu and is the most widely used test for veterinary and food-safety uses.

"The availability of our rapid PCR-based molecular diagnostic solutions is critical at a time when fear of a pandemic may prompt individuals to rush into using anti-virals without having undergone the appropriate diagnosis,” noted Dr. Joachim Schorr, senior vice president, Globel Research & Development, Qiagen. "Physicians need precise information on the nature of an influenza infection when a patient presents with symptoms. Our tests will assist in determining the correct therapeutic strategy.”




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