Chikungunya PCR test
dog and cat assay data sheet
Chikungunya
virus
Test code:
S0203 -
Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of chikungunya virus by
reverse transcription coupled real time polymerase chain reaction
Chikungunya virus is transmitted by mosquito. The
most common symptoms of chikungunya infection are fever and joint
pain, which can be excruciating, leading to the colloquial name
“breakbone fever.” Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain,
joint swelling, and rash. Chikungunya means "that which bends up" or
"to be contorted" in the Kimakonde language and was first described in
the 1950s in Tanzania. Chikungunya is an RNA virus in the Alphavirus
genus of the Togaviridae family.
In 2013, chikungunya viral infection was reported in
humans in the Caribbean. The virus quickly spread to almost every
island, with many cases found in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In
2014, cases of this viral infection started to be reported in Central
and South America and it quickly became endemic. As of September 5,
2014, the Pan American Health Organization had confirmed 8210 cases
and 37 deaths resulting from chikungunya viral infection, with 751
reported cases in the continental United States, mostly in southern
Florida.
Two species of day-time biting mosquito transmit chikungunya virus:
Aedes aegypti, which only bites humans; and
Aedes albopictus (the Asian "tiger mosquito"), which has become
common in much of the Caribbean and southesastern United States and
bites not just people but a range of animals, including squirrels,
deer, birds and dogs.
Diagnosis of chikungunya viral infection is mostly
based on serological and PCR techniques. Viral culture followed by
viral antigen detection is a sensitive method but must be performed
under BSL3 biosafety conditions, and is time consuming and labor
intensive, limiting its usefulness. Serological methods are reliable
but are not appropriate in early stage infection, i.e., before 5–6
days after clinical onset, because antibody titer is low during early
stages of infection and serology is not sensitive enough to detect
small changes in antibody titer. Nucleic acid amplification by PCR is
an appropriate diagnostic tool at an early stage of infection, while
the patient is viremic (Laurent et al., 2007).
Utilities:
-
Help confirm the disease causing agent
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Help ensure that pets and kennels are free of this virus
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Early prevention of spread of this virus among a kennel
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Minimize human exposure to this virus
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Safety monitoring of biological products and vaccines that
derive from susceptible animals
References:
Apandi, Y., Nazni, W.A., Noor Azleen, Z.A.,
Vythilingam, I., Noorazian, M.Y. , Azahari, A.H., Zainah, S. and Lee,
H.L. (2009) The first isolation of chikungunya virus from nonhuman
primates in Malaysia. J. Gen. Mol. Virol. 1: 035–039
Laurent, P., Le Roux, K., Grivard, P., Bertil, G., Naze, F.,
Picard, M., Staikowsky, F., Barau, G., Schuffenecker, I. and Michault,
A. (2007) Development of a sensitive real-time reverse transcriptase
PCR assay with an internal control to detect and quantify Chikungunya
virus. Clin. Chem. 53: 1408–1414.
Specimen
requirement:
0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube, or
0.2 ml plasma or serum, or 0.2 ml cerebrospinal fluid, or 0.2 ml
tissue.
Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.
For all specimen
types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm
weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack
unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen
specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See
shipping instructions for more
information.
Turnaround
time:
2 business days
Methodology:
Qualitative reverse transcription coupled real time PCR
Normal range:
Nondetected
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