Abstracts summarizing recent research overseen by the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research - 2004
Diagnostic Development at the CDC: Update 2004
Victoria Olson, Yu Li, Hui Zhao, Miriam Laker, Kevin Karem, Scott K Smith, Nikeva Bernard, Zach Braden, Russell Regnery, Inger Damon
Poxvirus Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, United States of America
Please direct all queries to the authors at the addresses given.
In the past year, development and validation, as well as performance analysis of diagnostic real time PCR orthopoxvirus assays has continued at the CDC. In 2004 a collaborative manuscript with Dr. H. Meyer, evaluating a variola assay designed by Dr Meyer, was published. As additional clinical samples have been tested using the orthopoxvirus assays, progress has been made to approach the Food and Drug Administration for “approval” of at least one assay. A laboratory testing algorithm, designed for triaging and testing febrile vesiculopustular rash illness specimens was posted on the CDC and Association for Public Health Laboratories websites. Further work on characterization of monoclonals generated and screened to be specific for variola will be described.