Current methods for detecting influenza A subtype H5 virus, for example cell culture, haemagglutination-inhibition, fluorescent antibody and enzyme immunoassay, and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) may have the disadvantages of low sensitivity and low specificity. Furthermore, such methods are relatively difficult to use, and may not be suitable for routine detection on a daily basis. The kit for detecting H5 virus of this invention may provide a user-friendly alternative that is relatively more sensitive and specific to H5 virus. The detection kit utilizes two specially designed primers A and B for the replication of H5 virus, and a specific capture probe for immobilizing the amplified viral RNA. An additional primer C is also designed for the detection of pathogenic H5 virus. The detection of H5 virus by the detection kit may be accomplished within one day if desired.
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