Yohei Kurosaki

Rapid discrimination of Legionella by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Molecular typing is an important tool in the surveillance and investigation of human Legionella infection outbreaks. In this study, two molecular typing methods, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS), were used to discriminate 23 Legionella pneumophila strains. The usefulness of MALDI-TOF-MS was demonstrated. The MALDI-TOF-MS fingerprinting with filtered small acid-soluble molecules gave different molecular profiles among strains, and the clustal analysis with MALDI-TOF-MS showed a high discrimination of strains the same as that with PFGE. In addition, MALDI-TOF-MS data could be generated within a few hours after the initial culture, although PFGE analyses took several days to complete. Thus, MALDI-TOF-MS offers a simple and rapid discrimination technique that could aid in the tracking of fast-spreading outbreaks of Legionella.

Development and Evaluation of Reverse Transcription-Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) Assay Coupled with a Portable Device for Rapid Diagnosis of Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea

Given the current absence of specific drugs or vaccines for Ebola virus disease (EVD), rapid, sensitive, and reliable diagnostic methods are required to stem the transmission chain of the disease. We have developed a rapid detection assay for Zaire ebolavirus based on reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) and coupled with a novel portable isothermal amplification and detection platform. The RT-LAMP assay is based on primer sets that target the untranscribed trailer region or nucleoprotein coding region of the viral RNA. The test could specifically detect viral RNAs of Central and West African Ebola virus strains within 15 minutes with no cross-reactivity to other hemorrhagic fever viruses and arboviruses, which cause febrile disease. The assay was evaluated using a total of 100 clinical specimens (serum, n = 44; oral swab, n = 56) collected from suspected EVD cases in Guinea. The specificity of this diagnostic test was 100% for both primer sets, while the sensitivity was 100% and 97.9% for the trailer and nucleoprotein primer sets, respectively, compared with a reference standard RT-PCR test. These observations suggest that our diagnostic assay is useful for identifying EVD cases, especially in the field or in settings with insufficient infrastructure.

Development and Evaluation of a Simple Assay for Marburg Virus Detection Using a Reverse Transcription-Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method

ABSTRACT Marburg virus (MARV) causes a severe hemorrhagic fever in humans with a high mortality rate. The rapid and accurate identification of the virus is required to appropriately provide infection control and outbreak management. Here, we developed and evaluated a one-step reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for the rapid and simple detection of MARV. By combining two sets of primers specific for the Musoke and Ravn genetic lineages, a multiple RT-LAMP assay detected MARV strains of both lineages, and no cross-reactivity with other hemorrhagic fever viruses (Ebola virus and Lassa virus) was observed. The assay could detect 102 copies of the viral RNA per tube within 40 min by real-time monitoring of the turbidities of the reaction mixtures. The assay was further evaluated using viral RNA extracted from clinical specimens collected in the 2005 Marburg hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Angola and yielded positive results for samples containing MARV at greater than 104 50% tissue culture infective doses/ml, exhibiting 78% (14 of 18 samples positive) consistency with the results of a reverse transcription-PCR assay carried out in the field laboratory. The results obtained by both agarose gel electrophoresis and naked-eye judgment indicated that the RT-LAMP assay developed in this study is an effective tool for the molecular detection of MARV. Furthermore, it seems suitable for use for field diagnostics or in laboratories in areas where MARV is endemic.

Rapid and simple detection of Clostridium botulinum types A and B by loop-mediated isothermal amplification

Aims:  To develop a convenient and rapid detection method for toxigenic Clostridium botulinum types A and B using a loop‐mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method.

Development and evaluation of a rapid molecular diagnostic test for Zika virus infection by reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification

The recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) disease caused an enormous number of infections in Central and South America, and the unusual increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly associated with ZIKV infection aroused global concern. Here, we developed a reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay using a portable device for the detection of ZIKV. The assay specifically detected ZIKV strains of both Asian and African genotypes without cross-reactivity with other arboviruses, including Dengue and Chikungunya viruses. The assay detected viral RNA at 14.5 TCID50/mL in virus-spiked serum or urine samples within 15 min, although it was slightly less sensitive than reference real time RT-PCR assay. We then evaluated the utility of this assay as a molecular diagnostic test using 90 plasma or serum samples and 99 urine samples collected from 120 suspected cases of arbovirus infection in the states of Paraíba and Pernambuco, Brazil in 2016. The results of this assay were consistent with those of the reference RT-PCR test. This portable RT-LAMP assay was highly specific for ZIKV, and enable rapid diagnosis of the virus infection. Our results provide new insights into ZIKV molecular diagnostics and may improve preparedness for future outbreaks.

Tofla virus: A newly identified Nairovirus of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever group isolated from ticks in Japan

Ixodid ticks transmit several important viral pathogens. We isolated a new virus (Tofla virus: TFLV) from Heamaphysalis flava and Heamaphysalis formsensis in Japan. The full-genome sequences revealed that TFLV belonged to the genus Nairovirus, family Bunyaviridae. Phylogenetic analyses and neutralization tests suggested that TFLV is closely related to the Hazara virus and that it is classified into the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever group. TFLV caused lethal infection in IFNAR KO mice. The TFLV-infected mice exhibited a gastrointestinal disorder, and positron emission tomography-computed tomography images showed a significant uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose in the intestinal tract. TFLV was able to infect and propagate in cultured cells of African green monkey-derived Vero E6 cells and human-derived SK-N-SH, T98-G and HEK-293 cells. Although TFLV infections in humans and animals are currently unknown, our findings may provide clues to understand the potential infectivity and to develop of pre-emptive countermeasures against this new tick-borne Nairovirus.

Mobile Automatic Detection System for Bacillus anthracis using Electrochemical DNA Chip

A novel detection system for biological agents using Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) and an electrochemical DNA chip, Bio BulwarkTM, has been developed. Genomic DNAs/RNAs roughly extracted from biological agents were amplified by the LAMP method using target-specific primers and strand-displace polymerase. The amplified DNAs were processed to hybridization with the electrochemical DNA chip. Anodic current derived from hoechst 33258, an electrochemically active intercalator, was relative to the amount of the target DNA hybridized with target-specific probes on the DNA chip. All reactions and measurements were conducted using disposable cassettes, which included the reagents for amplification and the DNA chip, and a mobile automatic detection system. The preliminary study showed that accurate detection of B. anthracis was carried out within 70 minutes. This system would prevent or minimize damage in the event of a criminal attack involving a biological threat.

Rapid detection of all known ebolavirus species by reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)

Ebola virus disease (EVD), a highly virulent infectious disease caused by ebolaviruses, has a fatality rate of 25-90%. Without a licensed chemotherapeutic agent or vaccine for the treatment and prevention of EVD, control of outbreaks requires accurate and rapid diagnosis of cases. In this study, five sets of six oligonucleotide primers targeting the nucleoprotein gene were designed for specific identification of each of the five ebolavirus species using reverse transcription-loop mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay. The detection limits of the ebolavirus species-specific primer sets were evaluated using in vitro transcribed RNAs. The detection limit of species-specific RT-LAMP assays for Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus, and Bundibugyo ebolavirus was 256 copies/reaction, while the detection limit for Reston ebolavirus was 64 copies/reaction, and the detection time for each of the RT-LAMP assays was 13.3±3.0, 19.8±4.6, 14.3±0.6, 16.1±4.7, and 19.8±2.4min (mean±SD), respectively. The sensitivity of the species-specific RT-LAMP assays were similar to that of the established RT-PCR and quantitative RT-PCR assays for diagnosis of EVD and are suitable for field or point-of-care diagnosis. The RT-LAMP assays were specific for the detection of the respective species of ebolavirus with no cross reaction with other species of ebolavirus and other viral hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Marburg virus, Lassa fever virus, and Dengue virus. The species-specific RT-LAMP assays developed in this study are rapid, sensitive, and specific and could be useful in case of an EVD outbreak.

Responding to ever-changing epidemiological dynamics of Ebola virus disease

With the incidence and mortality rates of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone now at zero and reports of the largest and most complex EVD outbreak in history no longer on the front pages of newspapers worldwide, the urgency of that crisis seems to have subsided. During this lull after the storm and before the next one, the international community needs to engage in a ‘lessons-learned’ exercise with respect to our collective scientific, clinical and public health preparedness. This engagement must identify pragmatic, innovative mechanisms at multinational, national and community levels that allow research and development of next generation diagnostics and therapeutics, the safe and effective practice of medicine, and the maintenance of public health to keep pace with the rapid epidemiological dynamics of EVD and other deadly infectious diseases.

Defining the relative performance of isothermal assays that can be used for rapid and sensitive detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus

Highlights • Isothermal assays representative of RT-LAMP and RT-RPA were compared against rRT-PCR.• Nine sample preparation methods were evaluated across all assays.• RT-LAMP can detect FMDV in multiple sample types using simple preparation techniques.• RT-LAMP can detect FMDV across a large diagnostic detection window.