A Rapid and Sensitive Flu Virus Test

Avian influenza is a highly contagious disease that can spread rapidly in a susceptible population. Thus, avian influenza may have devastating effects on the poultry industry. Because of potential interspecies transmission, as evidenced with the avian influenza virus H5N1, avian influenza may have devastating effect on public health as well. It is therefore important to prevent and/or to promptly contain avian influenza. Prompt and accurate identification of an infected flock is crucial for eradicating avian influenza, which depends on the availability of rapid and reliable diagnostic tests. Ideally, an effective avian influenza test should be very sensitive, rapid (e.g., <30 minutes), economical, portable, compatible with tracheal or cloacal swab samples, and easy-to-use. Currently available tests do not meet these criteria. Current tests are mostly immunoassays and molecular assays, which suffer from a number of drawbacks such as lack of sensitivity (e.g., lateral flow based immunoassays), use of expensive equipment, and susceptibility to inhibitors found in the samples (e.g., molecular assays). We have developed a prototype test kit. Preliminary evaluation of the kit using human influenza virus has demonstrated that the assay is highly sensitive, rapid, portable, and easy-to-use. The proposed Phase I studies will evaluate the kit!=s performance using chicken tracheal swabs spiked with avian influenza virus and other samples containing avian influenza virus. Successful completion of the Phase I studies will lead to Phase II studies, which will evaluate the test kit using samples from chickens infected with avian influenza virus. Successful development of the test kit will provide the poultry industry with essential ammunition against avian influenza.