Development of diagnostic and point of care assays for a gammaherpesvirus infecting koalas

Belinda R Wright; Martina Jelocnik; Andrea Casteriano; Yasmine S S Muir; Alistair R Legione; Paola K Vaz; Joanne M Devlin; Damien P Higgins

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0286407

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Development of diagnostic and point of care assays for a gammaherpesvirus infecting koalas

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Development of diagnostic and point of care assays for a gammaherpesvirus infecting koalas

Belinda R Wright, Martina Jelocnik, Andrea Casteriano, Yasmine S S Muir, Alistair R Legione, Paola K Vaz, Joanne M Devlin and Damien P Higgins

PLoS One, Vol.18(6), pp.1-11

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286407

PMCID: PMC10234535

PMID: 37262062

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Abstract

The recent listing of koala populations as endangered across much of their range has highlighted the need for better management interventions. Disease is a key threat to koala populations but currently there is no information across the threatened populations on the distribution or impact of a gammaherpesvirus, phascolarctid gammaherpesvirus 1 (PhaHV-1). PhaHV-1 is known to infect koalas in southern populations which are, at present, not threatened. Current testing for PhaHV-1 involves lengthy laboratory techniques that do not permit quantification of viral load. In order to better understand distribution, prevalence and impacts of PhaHV-1 infections across koala populations, diagnostic and rapid point of care tests are required. We have developed two novel assays, a qPCR assay and an isothermal assay, that will enable researchers, clinicians and wildlife managers to reliably and rapidly test for PhaHV-1 in koalas. The ability to rapidly diagnose and quantify viral load will aid quarantine practices, inform translocation management and guide research into the clinical significance and impacts of PhaHV-1 infection in koalas.

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Title: Development of diagnostic and point of care assays for a gammaherpesvirus infecting koalas
Authors: Belinda R Wright (Corresponding Author) - The University of Sydney
Martina Jelocnik (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Andrea Casteriano (Author) - The University of Sydney
Yasmine S S Muir (Author) - The University of Sydney
Alistair R Legione (Author) - The University of Melbourne
Paola K Vaz (Author) - The University of Melbourne
Joanne M Devlin (Author) - The University of Melbourne
Damien P Higgins (Author) - The University of Sydney
Publication details: PLoS One, Vol.18(6), pp.1-11
Publisher: Public Library of Science
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286407
ISSN: 1932-6203
PMID: 37262062; PMC10234535
Copyright note: © 2023 Wright et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Grant note: Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment Bushfire Recovery Multiregional Species Program NSW Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES)
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99734297202621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Microbiology

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