METHOD FOR THE GENOME AMPLIFICATION OF THE WEST NILE VIRUS

摘要

Method for the genome amplification of the West Nile virus. The method is based on the amplification of a zone of the non-encoding region 3' of the virus, preferably by means of Real Time PCR, comprising the use of a pair of minimally degenerate primers, thereby allowing the amplification of the West Nile virus present in a sample from any known lineage. The amplified fragment is preferably detected using a probe specific to the zone, which is also minimally degenerate. The pair of selected degenerate primers, together with the preferred probe, provide high sensitivity in the detection of all lineages, as well as high specificity for the West Nile virus.