H5N1: Whole RNA Virus Sequencing Using the Genome Sequencer FLX System

摘要

The global spread of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus among bird populations and its transmission to humans in endemic areas has emphasized the importance of fast and accurate detection methods for influenza virus strain and variant identification. Immunological typing assays are widely used, but they provide limited information for the understanding of, for example, strain evolution. Moreover, locus-specific PCR-based methods might not be useful in the case of novel viral variants, because these are limited to the analysis of variants similar in sequence to the consensus sequence used for PCR primer design. Two recent studies emphasize the value of whole-genome influenza virus surveillance sequencing as a way to overcome these shortcomings [1,2].