Rapid Diagnosis of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever by Reverse Transcription-PCR in an Outbreak Setting and Assessment of Patient Viral Load as a Predictor of Outcome

摘要: The largest outbreak on record of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) occurred in Uganda from August 2000 to January 2001. was centered the Gulu district northern Uganda, with secondary transmission other districts. After initial diagnosis Sudan ebolavirus by National Institute for Virology Johannesburg, South Africa, a temporary diagnostic laboratory established within at St. Mary's Lacor Hospital. used antigen capture and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) diagnose infection suspect patients. RT-PCR antigen-capture assays proved very effective detecting patient serum, plasma, whole blood. In samples collected early course infection, assay could detect 24 48 h prior detection capture. More than 1,000 blood were collected, multiple obtained many patients throughout infection. Real-time quantitative determine viral load fatal nonfatal cases, these data correlated disease outcome. RNA copy levels who died averaged 2 log(10) higher those survived. Using clinical material EHF patients, we sequenced variable region glycoprotein. This strain not derived either earlier Boniface (1976) or Maleo (1979) strain, but it shares common ancestor both. Furthermore, both sequence epidemiologic are consistent having originated single introduction into human population.