Comprehensive Panel of Real-Time TaqMan™ Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays for Detection and Absolute Quantification of Filoviruses, Arenaviruses, and New World Hantaviruses

Adrienne R. Trombley Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Leslie Wachter Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Jeffrey Garrison Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Valerie A. Buckley-Beason Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Jordan Jahrling Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Lisa E. Hensley Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Randal J. Schoepp Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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David A. Norwood Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Augustine Goba Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Joseph N. Fair Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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David A. Kulesh Diagnostic Systems Division, and Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Maryland; Medimmune, Gaithersburg, Maryland; Battelle, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas; The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, California; Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone

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Viral hemorrhagic fever is caused by a diverse group of single-stranded, negative-sense or positive-sense RNA viruses belonging to the families Filoviridae (Ebola and Marburg), Arenaviridae (Lassa, Junin, Machupo, Sabia, and Guanarito), and Bunyaviridae (hantavirus). Disease characteristics in these families mark each with the potential to be used as a biological threat agent. Because other diseases have similar clinical symptoms, specific laboratory diagnostic tests are necessary to provide the differential diagnosis during outbreaks and for instituting acceptable quarantine procedures. We designed 48 TaqMan™-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays for specific and absolute quantitative detection of multiple hemorrhagic fever viruses. Forty-six assays were determined to be virus-specific, and two were designated as pan assays for Marburg virus. The limit of detection for the assays ranged from 10 to 0.001 plaque-forming units (PFU)/PCR. Although these real-time hemorrhagic fever virus assays are qualitative (presence of target), they are also quantitative (measure a single DNA/RNA target sequence in an unknown sample and express the final results as an absolute value (e.g., viral load, PFUs, or copies/mL) on the basis of concentration of standard samples and can be used in viral load, vaccine, and antiviral drug studies.

Author Notes

*Address correspondence to David A. Kulesh, Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD 21701-5011. E-mail: David.Kulesh@us.army.mil

Financial support: This study was supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, project ID no. 8.10007_05_RD_B.

Authors' addresses: Adrienne R. Trombley, Randal J. Schoepp, David A. Norwood, and David A. Kulesh, Diagnostic Systems Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD. Leslie Wachter, Medimmune, Gaithersburg, MD. Jeff Garrison, Battelle, Columbus, OH. Valerie A. Buckley-Beason and Lisa E. Hensley, Virology Division, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD. Jordan Jahrling, Department of Neuroscience, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX. Augustine Goba, Lassa Fever Laboratory, Kenema Government Hospital, Kenema, Sierra Leone. Joseph N. Fair, The Global Viral Forecasting Initiative, San Francisco, CA.

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