primate assay data sheet
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) by PCR
Test code: S0242 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of
hepatitis A virus by reverse transcription coupled real time
PCR
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from
infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV), a picornavirus.
Infected individuals develop symptoms ranging in severity from
mild illness lasting a few weeks to severe illness lasting
several months. Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person
ingests fecal matter from an infected person, through contact
with contaminated objects, food, or drinks. Infected persons may
develop fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting,
abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint
pain, and jaundice.
The host range for hepatitis A virus is limited to human and
several species of nonhuman primates. Spontaneous hepatitis A
infection has been reported to occur in captive non-human
primates including the great apes (chimpanzee) as well as Old
World (cynomolgus, African vervet, stump-tailed) and New World
(aotus) monkeys. The frequent detection of anti-HAV antibody in
the sera of newly captured individuals of these species shows
that infection with this virus is common in their natural
habitat.
Serological diagnosis of hepatitis A infection relies on
detecting an elevation of IgM level in patient's blood. However,
serology cannot be easily applied to environmental monitoring of
contaminated water and sewage samples. Additionally, molecular
detection by PCR is highly sensitive and specific
(Apaire-Marchais et al., 1994).
Utilities:
-
Help confirm the disease causing agent
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Help ensure that animal colonies are free of Hepatitis A
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Early prevention of spread of this virus among a colony
-
Environmental monitoring for this virus
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Minimize personnel exposure to this virus
-
Safety monitoring of biological products and vaccines that
derive from primates
References:
Apaire-Marchais, V.,
Ferre-Aubineau, V., Colonna, F., Dubois, F., Ponge, A., and
Billaudel, S. (1994)
Development of RT-semi-nested PCR for detection of hepatitis A virus in
stool in epidemic conditions. Mol Cell Probes 8:117-124.
Specimen requirement: 0.2 ml feces, or 2 rectal swabs, or 0.2
ml fresh or frozen liver tissue,
or 0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA
(purple top) tube, or 0.2 ml serum or plasma, or 0.2 ml water or environmental samples.
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