2007•Avian Diseases DigestRequires access
Validated H5 Eurasian Realtime RT-PCR and Its Application in H5N1 Outbreaks in 2005–06
Marek J. Slomka, T. Pavlidis, Jill Banks, Wendy Shell, Alan McNally, Steve Essen, Ian H. Brown
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Abstract
Avian influenza virus (AIV) isolation in embryonated chickens’ eggs (ECEs) has served for many years as the gold standard for AI diagnosis, and remains mandatory for confirmation of a primary outbreak. This requires at least 2–3 days growth, so avian virologists have been attracted to the RealTime polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as a more rapid means of identifying AI directly in clinical specimens. This allows faster decision making at the early stages of an outbreak, particularly when a laboratory may be receiving a large number of suspect specimens, thus aiding early detection and the implementation of effective control measures. AI PCR was employed successfully during the H7N2 low pathogenicity (LP) AI outbreak in the U.S.A. in 2002 and the H7N7 highly-pathogenic (HP) AI outbreak in the Netherlands in 2003.