Authors : Mohamed A.E. and E.A. Imadeldin
Abstract: Rift Valley fever is a disease which affects both humans and animals and hence the disease is of public health importance. In the present study, a Reverse Transcriptase (RT) polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assay, for detection of Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) ribonucleic acid (RNA) in cell culture, was developed. A pairs of oligoribonucleotide primers (RVFV1 and RVFV2), selected from the small (S) RNA genome segment of RVFV virus, was used as a target for PCR amplification. Using primers RVFV1 and RVFV2, the RT-PCR resulted in amplification of a 240-bp PCR product from RNA samples from RVF vaccine strains, propagated in Vero cell cultures. Amplification product was not detected when the RT-PCR-based assay was applied to RNA from other related phleboviruses; or other related hemorrhagic fevers viruses including, Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) of deer virus and total nucleic acid extracts from uninfected Vero cells. The described RT-PCR-based could be used as a simple and rapid diagnostic assay for detection of RVFV infection in humans and susceptible animal populations.
Mohamed A.E. and E.A. Imadeldin , 2006. A Simple and Rapid Method for Detection of Rift Valley Fever Virus in Cell Culture Using RT-PCR . International Journal of Tropical Medicine, 1: 44-47.