Detection of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus RNA by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

摘要

The pandemic influenza A(fllNl) 2009 (A(HlNl)pdmO9) virus emerged in Mexico in April 2009 and spread rapidly worldwide.1 The virus caused severe illness, including pneumonia, which led to hospitalization. The high-risk groups for A(HlNl)pdm09 include pregnant women, children <5 years old, elderly people, and people with chronic diseases, such as bronchial asthma and diabetes.3-4 The virus isolation method is widely used but it occasionally takes several days to identify typical cytopathic effects. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the method of choice for laboratory confirmation of A(HlNl)pdmO9. The advantage of real-time RT-PCR is that it allows quantitative assessment of the number of virus gene copies in clinical samples. In the present study, we developed a real-time RT-PCR assay for detecting A(HlNl)pdmO9 virus RNA in clinical samples.