A novel and sensitive real-time PCR system for universal detection of poxviruses
Léa Lucıanı, Lucia Inchauste, Olivier Ferraris, Rémi N. Charrel, Antoine Nougaırède, Géraldine Piorkowski, Christophe N. Peyrefitte, Stéphane Bertagnoli, Xavier de Lamballerie, Stéphane Priet
Abstract
Success in smallpox eradication was enabled by the absence of non-human reservoir for smallpox virus. However, other poxviruses with a wider host spectrum can infect humans and represent a potential health threat to humans, highlighted by a progressively increasing number of infections by (re)emerging poxviruses, requiring new improved diagnostic and epidemiological tools. We describe here a real-time PCR assay targeting a highly conserved region of the poxvirus genome, thus allowing a pan-Poxvirus detection (Chordopoxvirinae and Entomopoxvirinae). This system is specific (99.8% for vertebrate samples and 99.7% for arthropods samples), sensitive (100% for vertebrate samples and 86.3% for arthropods samples) and presents low limit of detection (< 1000 DNA copies/reaction). In addition, this system could be also valuable for virus discovery and epidemiological projects.