Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; President: Hisashi Ietsugu) has developed, jointly with the Osaka Prefectural Institute of Public Health (OPIPH), technology (a testing kit) for rapid and simplified detection of avian influenza viruses, which have a high potential to mutate into a new type of influenza.
To differentiate avian from human influenza viruses, special analytical technology such as gene amplification was previously necessary. In contrast, the new technology entails the simple procedure of dropping a prepared sample onto a test paper, thereby reducing the time required for the detection process to about ten minutes. Applicable to various strains of avian influenza, it is expected to lead to the detection of new types of influenza that may develop.
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While avian influenza viruses are normally transmitted only from bird to bird, cases of bird-to-human infection causing severe disease have been reported. As this route of transmission has now occurred on numerous occasions, there are increasing concerns that it might mutate into a new type of influenza that is more contagious.
It is considered that a new type of influenza, once it has appeared, is likely to produce major epidemics. Currently, a number of political and other measures are being taken by the government and relevant institutes for the prevention and early detection of avian and new types of influenza.
One available method of detecting avian influenza is gene amplification. This, however, involves special equipment and facilities, and requires 12 to 24 hours to complete the measurement process.
The newly developed method is based on technology used in kits that hospitals and clinics use for rapid diagnosis of influenza.
While it was not able to differentiate avian from human influenza viruses with the existing kits, the joint research conducted by Sysmex and OPIPH identified slight differences in the structure of proteins that exist inside the virus (nucleoproteins) between the avian and human strains of the influenza virus. Focusing on these differences, a technique has been established that allows the selective detection of avian influenza, simply and rapidly. It is also considered possible to detect avian influenza with a mutated surface structure (surface protein) because nucleoproteins are less susceptible to mutation.
It has also been confirmed that the new technology is capable of detecting different types of avian influenza, including A/H5, a subtype that is highly likely to mutate into a new type, as well as subtypes H7 and H9, both of which are also suspected of being susceptible to such mutation.
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