Simultaneous Detection of Seven Enteric Viruses Associated with Acute Gastroenteritis by a Multiplexed Luminex-Based Assay

Rapid and broad diagnostic methods are needed for the identification of viral agents of gastroenteritis. In this study, we used Luminex xMAP technology to develop a multiplexed assay for the simultaneous identification of major enteric viral pathogens, including rotavirus A (RVA), noroviruses (NoVs) (including genogroups GI and GII), sapoviruses (SaV), human astrovirus (HAstV), enteric adenoviruses (EAds), and human bocavirus 2 (HBoV2). The analytical sensitivity allowed detection of 10(3) (EAds, HBoV2, and RVA) and 10(4) (NoV GI and GII, SaV, and HAstV) copies per reaction mixture. Compared to conventional PCR, the Luminex-based assay yielded greater than 75% sensitivity and 97% specificity for each virus, and the kappa correlation for detection of all viruses ranged from 0.75 to 1.00. In conclusion, this multiplexed Luminex-based assay provides a potentially rapid, high-throughput, and maneuverable diagnostic tool for major viral pathogens associated with gastroenteritis.