Journal List > J Bacteriol Virol > v.39(1) > 1033956

Oh, Kim, Jang, Kim, Lee, Lee, and Lee: Development of RT-PCR Method to Detect Various Human Enteric Viruses

Abstract

Human enteric viruses are one of the major causes of acute gastroenteritis outbreaks. A rapid and precise detection of virus is critical for prompt diagnosis. For this purpose, nucleic acid-based techniques such as reverse transcription (RT)-PCR have been developed. Although RT-PCR is a rapid, specific and sensitive method to detect virus, many steps or reactions are required, especially when various types of viruses are targeted. In this study, we developed a quick and effective method to detect human enteric viruses with a few reactions. Our candidate viruses were as follows: one DNA virus (adenovirus: AdV) and seven RNA viruses including poliovirus (PV), coxsackievirus A (CoxA) and B (CoxB), human rotavirus (HRV), hepatitis A virus (HAV), norovirus (NorV), and astrovirus (AstV). With this amount of samples, theoretically, a total of fifteen biomolecular reactions have to be performed, which include seven RT reactions and eight subsequent PCR with specific primers in each case. Specific primers, enterovirus universal primers, and random primers were applied independently to compare the outcomes of RT and PCR steps in each viral sample. We found that random 9-mer is ideal for the RT reactions of RNA viruses with negligible differences in sensitivity and specificity of viral detection except HRV. Hence, HRV cDNA generated by HRV-specific primer and AdV DNA were amplified in a single tube by duplex PCR. The cDNAs generated by RT using random 9-mers were divided into two reaction tubes without losing sensitivity: one duplex PCR detects enteroviruses (PV, CoxA, CoxB) and HAV, the other detects NorV and AstV. In conclusion, it is possible to detect eight enteric viruses with a substantially reduced number of reactions, which are composed of five reactions, two RT and three PCR reactions.

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Figure 1.
Detection of human enteric viruses by multiplex RT-PCR. DNA or RNA was extracted from a mixture of 8 different human enteric viruses. cDNA was synthesized from RNA sample by RT reaction using specific primers for HRV or random 9-mer. PCR was performed with specific primer sets for each virus (lane 2, AdV; lane 3, AstV; lane 4, PV; lane 5, CoxA; lane 6, CoxB; lane 7, HAV; lane 8, HRV; lane 9, NorV). Multiplex PCR was performed by using combinations of primer sets for two viruses (lane 10, EntV+HAV; lane 11, AstV+NorV; lane 12, AdV+HRV) or four viruses (lane 13, EntV+HAV+AstV+NorV). Lane 1, size marker. AdV, Adenovirus; AstV, Astrovirus; CoxA, Coxsackievirus A; CoxB, Coxsackievirus B; HAV, Hepatitis A virus; HRV, Human rotavirus; NorV, Norovirus; PV, Poliovirus; EntV, Enterovirus, PV+CoxA+CoxB. Arrows indicate the DNA bands corresponding to the expected PCR products.
jbv-39-41f1.tif
Figure 2.
Suggested protocol of the RT-PCR with minimum hands-on steps to detect human enteric viruses from an unknown sample. AdV, Adenovirus; AstV, Astrovirus; EntV, Enterovirus, CoxA+CoxB+PV; HAV, Hepatitis A virus; HRV, Human rotavirus; NorV, Norovirus.
jbv-39-41f2.tif
Table 1.
The list of viruses and their specific primers used in this study
Virus Primer Sequence (5′→3′) Reference Detection limita
AdV hexAA1885 hexAA1913 GCCGCAGTGGTCTTACATGCACATC CAGCACGCCGCGGATGTCAAAGT 15 5.3
  Adhex-1 Adhex-2 GCCACCGATACGTACTTCAGCCTG GGCAGTGCCGGAGTAGGGTTTAAA 1 4
AstV MON340 Astman-2 CGTCATTATTTGTTGTCATACT TCGCTTCATACATCAAACCC 1, 16 6
  MON340 MON348 CGTCATTATTTGTTGTCATACT ACATGTGCTGCTGTTACTATG 16 4
Cox UC52 UC53 CAAGCACTTCTGTTTCCCCGG TTGTCACCATAACCAGCCA 17 4 (CoxA) 5 (CoxB)
EcV Primer 1 Primer 3 CAAGCACTTCTGTTTCCCCGG ATTGTCACCATAAGCAGCCA 18
  EV1 EV2 AAGCACTTCTGTTTCC CATTCAGGGGCCGGAGGA 19 5
EntVb E2 E1 TCCGGCCCCTGAATGCGG CACCGGATGGCCAATCCAAT 20 6
  Primer 1 Primer 3 CAAGCACTTCTGTTTCCCCGG ATTGTCACCATAAGCAGCCA 18 5.5 (CoxB)~6 (CoxA)
HAV 16A 6A GTTTTGCTCCTCTTTATCATGCTATG GGAAATGTCTCAGGTACTTTCTTTG 21 6.7
  HAVC-L HAVC-R CAGCACATCAGAAAGGTGAG CTCCAGAATCATCTCCAAC 22 2
HBV 409 703A CATCCTGCTGCTATGCCTCATCT CGAACCACTGAACAAATGGCACT 21
HRV aBT1 RVG9 CAAGTACTCAAATCAATGATGG GGTCACATCATACAATTCT 23 5.7
  Con3 Con2 TGGCTTCGCCATTTTATAGACA ATTTCGGACCATTTATAACC 24 4
MV MV1 MV2 TTAGGGCAAGAGATGGTAAGG GTTCTTCCGAGATTCCTGCCA 25
MuV MuV first F MuV first R ATGTAATTAATGCCAACTGCAAGG GAAAAGCTTATATCTAACGATGGG 26
  NV-GIIF1 NV-GIIR1 GGGAGGGCGATCGCAATCT CCRCCIGCATRICCRTTRTACAT 27 4
NorV JV12 JV13 ATACCACTATGATGCAGATTA TCATCATCACCATAGAAAGAG 28, 29 4
  MUN2-1F MUN2-1R GATTACTCTCGGTGGGATTCA GGGGTCCTTCAGTTTTGTCA This study 4
NorV MUN2-2F MUN2-2R GGTGGGATTCAACACAACAG GTTCTCCGCAGGAAAGTCAG This study 5
  MUN2-3F MUN2-3R GGCACCGTGGTCACACTACT TGGTTTTCTTGGCAGCTTCT This study 3
PV PVPCR2 2A GTCAATGATCACAACCCAC AAGAGGTCTCTATTCCACAT 30, 31 6.4

a Detection limit: Limit of detection by (RT)-PCR using specific primer sets for each virus

b EntV: enterovirus (PV, CoxA, CoxB) AdV, Adenovirus; AstV, Astrovirus; Cox, Coxsackievirus; EcV, Echovirus; EntV, Enterovirus; HAV, Hepatitis A virus; HBV, Hepatitis B virus; HRV, Human rotavirus; MV, Measles virus; MuV, Mumps virus; NorV, Norovirus; PV, Poliovirus

Table 2.
Comparison of specific and random primers in reverse transcription reactions to detect RNA enteric viruses by RT-PCR
Viruses Detection limit (-log10 dilution)
Specific primer Random 6-mer Random 9-mer
AstV 6 5 5
CoxA 4 4 5
CoxB 5 5 6
HAV 6.7 5 6
HRV 5.7 1 2
NorV 5 5 5
PV 6.4 5.5 6

RT reactions were performed with specific, random 6-mer or random 9-mer and the resulting cDNAs were subjected to PCRs using pairs of specific primers for each viruses.

For each virus, the RT primer with the lowest detection limit is in bold type and underlined.

Table 3.
Comparison of universal primers to detect enteroviruses by multiplex PCR
Virus Detection limit (-log10 dilution)
Controla RT primer Universal primers for PCR
EV1/EV2 E1/E2 Primer1/3
    Random 6-mer 4.2 4.7 5
    Random 9-mer 6 6 4
PV 6.4 EV1/EV2 5
    E1/E2 b 6
    Primer1/3 5.7
    Random 6-mer 5 6 5.5
    Random 9-mer 4.5 6.3 5
CoxA 4 EV1/EV2 5
    E1/E2 6
    Primer1/3 6
    Random 6-mer 4.25 6.25 5
    Random 9-mer 5 6.7 5
CoxB 5 EV1/EV2 5
    E1/E2 6
    Primer1/3 5.5

Pairs of RT primers and PCR primers with the lowest detection limit are in bold type and underlined.

a Control: Limit of detection by RT-PCR with specific primers for RT and PCR as shown in the Table 2.

b −: Not applicable

Table 4.
Scores of the secondary structure among the primer sets for detection of human enteric viruses
Viruses Number of cross-dimer formeda ATb (°C) Size (bp)
AdV AstV EntV HAV HRV NorV
AdV 4 7 7 1 1 45 308
AstV   6 7 6 3 51 345
EntV     2 4 7 55 195
HAV       7 5 55 247
HRV         3 42 749
NorV           53 448

Pairs of primers yielding the least number of cross-dimers are in bold type and underlined.

a Number of cross-dimer formed: calculated by NetPrimer program.

b AT: annealing temperature

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