Specific PCR Method Developed for Novel Enterovirus D68: Preparing for a Future Pandemic

November 01, 2021

Enterovirus D68 is a threatening viral infection. When a child is infected, a respiratory illness similar to asthmatic attack, presenting cough and wheezing, occurs. Sudden paralysis of the limbs also occurs, with a high morbidity in some cases. So far, no effective treatment is available.
Graduate student, Dr. Tatsuki Ikuse and Professor Akihiko Saitoh in the Department of Pediatrics, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, in collaboration with the Bioinformatics Laboratory (Professor Shujiro Okuda and his colleagues) in the same graduate school, developed novel methodologies that can test enterovirus D68 more accurately than the previous methods, which has been used universally. Using these more accurate tests for enterovirus D68, which could cause a future epidemic in the future, will enable accurate diagnosis with better understanding of the clinical presentations of EV-D68 patients. This could also be useful for considering future treatment strategies.

Publication Details

Journal: Journal of Clinical Microbiology
Title: Development of Novel PCR Assays for Improved Detection of Enterovirus D68
Authors: Tatsuki Ikuse, Yuta Aizawa, Hayato Takihara, Shujiro Okuda, Kanako Watanabe, Akihiko Saitoh
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01151-21

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