S.G. Mirzaei - Department of Poultry Diseases Research and Diagnosis, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
A. Shoushtari - Department of Poultry Diseases Research and Diagnosis, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran
A. Noori - Development and Evaluation of Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Test for Quantitative and Qualitative Recognition of H۵ Subtype of Avian Influenza Viruses

Avian influenza viruses (AIV) affect a wide range of birds and mammals, cause severe economic damage to the poultry industry, and pose a serious threat to humans. Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAI) H۵N۱ were first identified in Southeast Asia in ۱۹۹۶ and spread to four continents over the following years. The viruses have caused high mortality in chickens and various bird species and deadly infections in humans. Multiple conventional methods have been so far introduced for the detection and identification of avian influenza viruses. Traditional virus isolation methods are gold standard protocol in AI detection; nonetheless, virus isolation in embryonating chicken eggs (ECE) is not a rapid method for the detection of influenza viruses since it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Furthermore, the isolation of highly pathogenic viruses, such as H۵, needs BSL۳ laboratories.  Real-Time Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RRT-PCR) is a sensitive and specific method for the detection of influenza viruses. The application of these nucleic acid-based techniques has increased our ability to identify and perform influenza virus care programs, especially in surveillance programs. The current study aimed to detect H۵ subtype of avian influenza (AI) virus using fast, specific, and sensitive TaqMan RRT-PCR. Notably, single step RRT-PCR was used to prevent possible laboratory contamination. The specificity of this test was evaluated using nucleic acid extracted from several poultry pathogenic microorganisms and negative clinical specimens from AI-uninfected birds. The sensitivity analysis of the RRT-PCR assay was performed using in vitro-transcribed RNA copy and ۱۰-fold serial dilution of standard AI virus with specific titer. The results indicated the high sensitivity of this method and the lowest detectable dilution of this method based on RNA copies and ۱:۱۰ serial dilutions of the standard virus was ۱۰ ۱.۹ EID۵۰ /۱۰۰.

H۵, avian influenza virus, Real-time RT-PCR