Christian Drosten

..Viral load correlated with clinical disease and antibodies and could be used as a predictor of disease outcome...

..6 to 16 RNA copies per assay). The suitability of the assays was exemplified by detection and quantification of viral RNA in serum samples of VHF patients...

..The most recent common ancestor of hCoV-229E and GhanaBt-CoVGrp1 existed in approximately 1686-1800 ad. The GhanaBt-CoVGrp2 shared an old ancestor (approximately 2,400 years) with the severe acute respiratory syndrome-like group of CoV...

..Methods for the routine sampling of sputum without infection risk are needed to improve SARS RT-PCR...

..However, no evidence of acute or previous chikungunya infection could be demonstrated in the same cohort. This study gives formal evidence that the absence of human population immunity correlated with a large chikungunya epidemic...

..In this study we used VIDISCA, a virus identification method which has not yet been widely applied, on such an untyped virus isolate...

..Full genome analysis of the two viruses revealed recombination between HPeV1 and -3 in one and HPeV6 and -1 in another. HPeV seems relevant in children <2 years and specific RT-PCR for HPeV should be included in enteritis screening...

..The use of an internal control qualifies the assay for high sample throughput, as is likely to be needed in situations of suspected acts of biological terrorism, e.g., use of VAR...

..An international proficiency study with 31 participants demonstrated that ad hoc implementation of molecular diagnostics was feasible and successful...

..Non-immunosuppressive derivatives of CspA might serve as broad-range CoV inhibitors applicable against emerging CoVs as well as ubiquitous pathogens of humans and livestock...

..Non-western HCV genotypes have been under-represented in evaluation studies. An alternative diagnostic target region within the HCV genome could facilitate a new generation of assays...

..Because attenuation was focused on the early phase of infection in-vivo, ORF 7b might have contributed to the delayed accumulation of virus in patients that was suggested to have limited the spread of the SARS epidemic...

..Soon after onset of symptoms, patients had IgG and IgM and high viral loads (some >10(9) copies/mL plasma). These data will help healthcare providers select diagnostic tests for returning travelers...

..Cell-free parasite DNA (CFPD) was detected in plasma by PCR...

..They may thus be induced by different constituents of O. tsutsugamushi. As a future prospect in a clinical diagnostic laboratory, quantitative real-time PCR may serve as a reliable tool to monitor therapy and to detect treatment failure...

..XMRV-specific sequences were detected in 2%-3% of samples from 168 immunocompetent carriers and approximately 10% of samples from 161 immunocompromised patients...

..For the first time, a direct comparison of virus isolation with quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR on human rabies samples was conducted. RT-PCR was found to be more sensitive than virus isolation...

..These data suggest that a high virus load and high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the late stage of Lassa fever play an important role in the pathogenesis of hemorrhage, multi-organ failure, and shock in Lassa fever...

..Of 58 participants, 51 correctly detected virus in all samples > or =9,400 RNA copies per milliliter and none in negative samples. Commercial test kits significantly improved the outcome...

..In some countries, monitoring of antiretroviral therapy is now more expensive than treatment itself. In addition, some commercial assays have shown shortcomings in quantifying rare genotypes...

..On the other hand, as still no culture system exists for M. leprae, the assay appears to be a robust tool for detection of the bacterium in selected clinical situations, as well as for quantitation in experimental settings...

..To our knowledge, these are the first specific baseline data for the mentioned agents in the context of air travel...

..The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has recently been identified as a new clinical entity. SARS is thought to be caused by an unknown infectious agent...

..These bats do not occur in continental Africa, but a whole range of other fruit bats is encountered. One of the most abundant is Eidolon helvum, the African Straw-coloured fruit bat...

..This validates the MMLV model for use in antiviral drug studies. The MMLV SCID model may, therefore, be attractive for the study of chemoprophylactic or chemotherapeutic strategies against flavivirus infections causing encephalitis...

..Failure rates for Bayer Versant bDNA 3.0, Roche Amplicor Monitor v1.5, and bioMerieux NucliSens QT were 0.68, 0.47, and 4.33%, respectively. NucliSens may be inadequate for use in Brazil...

..Infected patients who died appeared to have higher viral loads; low viral loads correlated with IgG detection...

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..The assay facilitates reliable detection or exclusion screening of filovirus infections...

..However, ribavirin did not enhance the inhibitory effect of interferon therapy in this animal model for flavivirus infections...

..The study indicates a low risk of transmission during the initial phase of symptomatic Lassa fever, even with high-risk exposures. The risk may increase with progression of disease and increasing virus load...

..The third part is focussed on important differential diagnoses of VHF...

..CONCLUSIONS: In Ghana 3% seropositives were found by IFA, but 4% by the reverse ELISA. The reverse ELISAs can be performed with high sensitivity and specificity under field conditions in Africa...

..CONCLUSION: The EQA gives a feedback of the quality of the RT-PCR system used by each respective laboratory. The different test systems and amplification conditions demonstrate the importance of external quality control measures...

..The observations provide compelling evidence that the determinants of neuroinvasiveness of flaviviruses are entirely located in the envelope proteins prM and E...

..The universal PCR assay could also be suitable for the detection of novel clade B arenaviruses in patients as well as in animal reservoirs...

..These findings demonstrate that the old drug cinanserin is an inhibitor of SARS-CoV replication, acting most likely via inhibition of the 3CL proteinase...

..3%, ranging from 0.0% to 5.0% in the coding region of Gambia 2001 strain and 2.9 %, ranging from 0.0% to 4.3% in the coding region of the Ivory C 1999 strain. Most mutations (5.0%/4.3%, respectively) occurred in the envelope protein...

..Both cytokines inhibit replication which is relevant for the design of antiviral strategies against Lassa fever with the aim of enhancing the IFN response...

..The assay proved to be a reliable technique for the detection of orthopoxviruses, with the advantage that it can simultaneously identify variola virus...

..We describe a diagnostic system for rapid, multiplex polymerase chain reaction identification of 10 different causes of viral hemorrhagic fevers...

..West Nile virus (WNV) molecular detection is being conducted by a growing number of laboratories, but the degree of proficiency may vary between them. External quality control is needed...

..The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was first described in February 2003. Close contact with symptomatic patients appears to be the main route of transmission, whereas blood transfusion transmission could not be ruled out...

..HBV NAT in conjunction with anti-HBc screening would reduce the residual risk of transfusion-transmitted HBV infection...

..Sensitivity of minipool PCR testing after virus enrichment seems to be sufficiently high to close the diagnostic window almost completely...

..In 39 children suffering from coronavirus 229E, NL63, OC43, or HKU1, the sensitivity was equal to that of individual real-time RT-PCRs...

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..Sensitivity levels were not significantly different between viruses. False-negative results were attributable to a lack of sensitivity...

..Phylogenetic analyses and sequence comparisons showed that SARS-CoV is not closely related to any of the previously characterized coronaviruses...

..3% and a sensitivity of 96.9%. The specificity and sensitivity for the IgG IIFT are 100.0% and 95.4%, respectively. This commercial IIFT is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of CHIKV infections and antibody seroprevalence studies...

..5 million patients, including travelers who have visited these areas...

..This emphasizes the need for continuous surveillance in areas of endemicity and appropriate protection when traveling through regions in which the MVE virus is endemic...

..1% of all follicular cells). The results of this method suggest that the high density of provirus-containing cells in follicles may be important for the persistence of proviral DNA in infected persons...

..During the 2 EVHF outbreaks in the Republic of Congo in 2003, we assessed the use of oral fluid specimens versus serum samples for laboratory confirmation of cases of EVHF...

..We detected antibody reactive with SARS-CoV antigen in 47 (6.7%) of 705 bat serum specimens comprising 26 species collected in Africa; thus, African bats may harbor agents related to putative group 4 CoV...