Detection of Avian Influenza Virus Using Real Time PCR

Undergraduate #105
Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Microbiology/Immunology/Virology

Blessing Enya - Savannah State University

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Avian influenza virus (AIV) is one of the most infectious diseases that occur in birds, and if not well managed can infect humans. AIV is from the family Orthomyxoviridae and the genus influenza virus A. The level of the viral infection on the bird host depends on the strain of the virus. The strain can have a low or high pathogenicity, depending on its antigenic hemagglutinating and neuraminidase activities on their lipid bilayer surface. As the virus evolves, new strains of the virus evolve over time, which increases the rate of its pathogenicity. The concern remains on the challenge to be able to detect the viral load of AIV in birds. We hypothesize that using real-time PCR (qPCR) to quantify the viral extent on the fecal samples will help in detection of the total viral count of AIV in birds. The Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from the fecal sample using TRIzol LS Reagent. The reverse transcription was carried out to make cDNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to make multiple copies of the complementary DNA (cDNA). Finally, qPCR was carried out to quantify the total vial count. The total viral load of AIV present in the fecal samples of the wild birds was quantified. In conclusion, we were able to detect the concentration of Avian Influenza virus in the fecal samples using qPCR.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): This work was supported by NSFREU (DBI-1358923) to Dr. Komal Vig (PI); This work was supported by NSFCREST (HRD-1241701) to Dr. Shree S. Singh (PI).

Faculty Advisor: Hongzhuan Wu,