Identification of Brazilian flaviviruses by a simplified reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method using Flavivirus universal primers

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1998 Sep;59(3):357-62. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1998.59.357.

Abstract

We report a simplified reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method for identification of Brazilian flaviviruses based on the patterns of electrophoretic separation of the amplicons. The RT-PCR was done on the culture fluids of Aedes albopictus C6/36 cells infected with Brazilian flaviviruses, without previous extraction of viral RNA, using Flavivirus universal primers that anneal to highly conserved sequences within the nonstructural protein 5 and 3'- non translated region of the virus genome. Genomes of 13 Brazilian Flavivirus isolates were amplified. It was not possible to amplify the genome of Bussuquara virus. Analysis of the RT-PCR products gave reproducible results and three distinct amplicon patterns were observed. Cacipacoré (800-850 basepairs [bp]) and yellow fever viruses (600 bp) yielded a single amplicon; dengue virus types 1 and 2 (650 and 550 bp), dengue virus type 4 (550 and 450 bp), Iguape (650-600 bp and 750-700 bp), St. Louis encephalitis (700 and 650-600 bp), and Rocio viruses (600 and 500-550 bp) yielded two amplicons; and Ilheus virus yielded five amplicons, two larger than 1,000 bp, one 650-700 bp, one 550-600 bp, and one 450-500 bp. The analysis of amplicon DNA sequences of six viruses showed homology with the 3'- nontranslated region of Flavivirus genome. The use of the Flavivirus universal primers in this simple RT-PCR technique is suitable as a screening test for the genus Flavivirus, with the exception of Bussuquara virus, in Brazilian isolates in tissue culture fluid.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aedes
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Line
  • DNA Primers* / chemistry
  • DNA, Viral / analysis*
  • DNA, Viral / chemistry
  • Electrophoresis, Agar Gel
  • Flaviviridae / classification
  • Flaviviridae / genetics
  • Flaviviridae / isolation & purification*
  • Genome, Viral
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction*
  • RNA, Viral / chemistry
  • RNA, Viral / genetics*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Viral
  • RNA, Viral