IVD Companies React Quickly to Swine Flu Threat

At the outset and with remarkable speed, in vitro diagnostic and biotechnology companies developed new tests and assay kits to identify the influenza A virus serotype H1N1 strain. A life sciences company even took the exemplary step of providing its technologies to health officials across the globe to aid in the identification of influenza strains.

Image: Diagram of swine flu virus showing receptors and genes (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons).

A pandemic declared

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) declared the highest alert for the global swine pandemic. More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu. This number has been increasing, but many of the cases reportedly had links to travel or were localized outbreaks without community spread. The WHO's decision to raise the pandemic alert level is a reflection of the spread of the virus, and not the current severity of the illness.

Transport of patient specimens

One of the most important issues in a pandemic is how to transport patient specimens to the diagnostic laboratory. Copan's viral medium was developed by Sterilin (Bargoed, UK) for transporting samples for swine flu testing. The medium is more convenient for performing multiple tests and maintains virus viability at room temperature and on ice. A flocked swab increases both the amount of sample collected and its release into the medium for pooling patient samples, which helps maximize the sensitivity of serological and molecular detection assays.

Life Technologies provide tests to health officials globally

Screening tests enable quick and reliable verification of potential infections and thus help to contain the spread of the pandemic.

Numerous tests and identification kits were developed in the wake of the pandemic. Through its Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA, USA) and Applied Biosystems (Foster City, CA, USA) brands, Life Technologies is providing its technologies to health officials across the globe to aid in the identification of influenza strains, particularly the strain associated with the recent outbreak of the influenza A virus H1N1.

Life Technologies influenza detection products include the MagMAX viral RNA isolation kits for RNA purification; the SuperScript III; Platinum one-step reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) kits for amplification of viral RNA; TaqMan Influenza A detection kit 2.0 for initial influenza type A screening; and several different capillary electrophoresis systems for determining the base-by-base sequence of viral samples. Additionally, the company offers its 7500 Fast and Fast Dx Real-Time PCR instruments under the Applied Biosystems brand.

Qiagen develops liquid chromatography test

An artus influenza liquid chromatography reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (LC RT PCR) kit developed by Qiagen (Hilden, Germany) is widely used for influenza screening. It serves as a standard for the detection of influenza A viruses in laboratories around the world. Infection with the H1N1 serotype of the virus can be verified using a second Qiagen screening test, the ResPlex II v.2.0 multiplex assay.

Physicians offered lab tests by Quest

Quest Diagnostics (Madison, NJ, USA) developed an RNA real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) screening test to help identify swine flu virus infections. Physicians can submit patient specimens that are found to be positive for the virus by a Quest Diagnostics' regional laboratory (or other clinical laboratory) to the Focus Diagnostics reference laboratory to determine whether the virus is the H1N1 serotype responsible for swine flu.

Origins

Influenza A virus infects mainly humans, pigs, and birds. Scientists believe that the H1N1 subtype could have mutated from a type that primarily infected pigs into a new form that is now transmissible through direct human-to-human contact.

Influenza A H1N1, originally called swine influenza H1N1, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years, started in January 2009. Despite its name, the World Organization for Animal Health (Paris, France) reported that this strain has not been isolated in pigs. It is a viral infection caused by a new influenza A virus serotype called influenza A/H1N1. The serotype contains genes closely related to swine influenza but the origin of the new strain is unknown. This strain can be transmitted from human to human, and causes the normal symptoms of influenza.

Control by vaccine not yet possible

Currently, there is no human vaccine on the market that protects against infection. There are, however, many viral vaccines already on the horizon. A universal flu vaccine that could be effective against most types of flu, from the regular seasonal ones, to avian flu, and even pandemic flu viruses such as swine flu has been developed by BiondVax (Weizmann Science Park, Israel). It has already produced positive results in an animal model and is awaiting validation in a clinical trial.

However, until a vaccine becomes available containment of swine flu infection will depend on rapid diagnosis and treatment with antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu or Relenza, as well as isolation of verified cases.

Human toll

The previous global flu pandemic, the 1968 "Hong Kong” flu caused by an H3N2 strain, cost an estimated one million lives. The 1918 "Spanish” flu pandemic caused by a different strain than today's influenza A virus serotype H1N1, is likely to have cost between 50 and 100 million lives.

Related Links:
World Health Organization
World Organization for Animal Health
Sterilin
Invitrogen
Applied Biosystems
Qiagen
Quest Diagnostics
BiondVax