Rapid Identification of Known and New RNA Viruses from Animal Tissues
2008

Rapid Identification of Known and New RNA Viruses from Animal Tissues

Sample size: 5 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Victoria Joseph G., Amit Kapoor, Kent Dupuis, David P. Schnurr, Eric L. Delwart

Primary Institution: Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco, California, United States of America

Hypothesis

Can a simple metagenomics approach effectively identify known and novel RNA viruses in animal tissues?

Conclusion

The study successfully identified five previously undetected viruses using a rapid metagenomics approach.

Supporting Evidence

  • Five samples were collected from various sources including human feces and skunk brain.
  • Two viruses were identified as members of the Picornaviridae family.
  • Three viruses were identified as members of the Reoviridae family.
  • The Eyach virus was detected for the first time in the United States.

Takeaway

Researchers found new viruses in animal tissues by using a quick and easy method, helping to identify viruses that were hard to detect before.

Methodology

Sequence-independent amplification of viral nucleic acids followed by shotgun sequencing was used to identify viruses in mouse tissues.

Limitations

The study focused on a limited number of samples and may not represent all possible viral diversity.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.ppat.1000163

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