title: Detection of respiratory syncytial virus antigen and nucleic acid in clinical specimens using synthetic oligonucleotides.
abstract: Rapid detection of respiratory syncytial (RS) virus in nasopharyngeal secretions (NPS) was carried out on cytospin cell preparations using a directly labelled monoclonal antiserum to RS virus to detect viral antigen and digoxigenin-labelled synthetic oligonucleotides to detect viral nucleic acid. Sequences of 27 and 30 bases in length from within the fusion protein and nucleocapsid genes respectively were selected for use as probes. The oligonucleotide in situ hybridization test was easy to perform and could be completed within 24 hours, but antigen detection was much more rapid and more sensitive. During 1989-1990, more positive results were obtained by antigen detection (193) than by isolation (185), but of 43 confirmed RS-virus-positive specimens, only 21 (49%) were detected by ISH. Antigen detection remains the most suitable single method of rapid detection of RS virus for a diagnostic laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Regional Virus Laboratory, City Hospital, Edinburgh, U.K.
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Cubie
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Inglis
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: McGowan
mesh_terms: D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes