DEVELOPMENT OF A DIAGNOSIS KIT FOR DETECTION OF SIMIAN VIRUS (SV40) BY NESTED PCR METHOD

Abstract

Simian virus (SV40) has been detected in many different human tumours. It is estimated that there are tens of millions of people around the world are being infected with SV40 concerning the administration of SV40-contaminated polio vaccines. The risk of SV40 contamination from initial biomaterials used for vaccine production has raised the requirement of development of diagnostic methods for rapid detection of S V 40. Many methods have been developed; however, they all have own limitations such as time-consuming and low sensitivity. Here, we report the study on development of a diagnostic Kit for rapid detection of SV40 based on nested peR method. Using two specific primer pairs for large tumor antigen (LTG) amplification, gene encoding for a protein which is critical for DNA replication of SV40, we have successfully developed a diagnostic Kit based on the detection of a DNA fragment of LTG of SV40 in suspected SV40-contaminated biomaterials. Among 4 monkey serum specimens that all tested rtegative for SV40, using our kit we have identified 2/4 samples were positive for SV40. Our study here also presents evidence showing how differences in the sensitivities of methodologies can lead to a very different interpretation of the same study. Taken together, the data have proved that our Kit is very specific, sensitive and easy to use for SV40 detection