PubMed2003
Previously reported nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) primers specific for the GII Noroviruses were adapted for reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and detection sensitivity was then enhanced by a subsequent in vitro transcription of the RT-PCR amplicons. The NASBA-derived primers performed comparably to other broadly reactive GII Norovirus primers with respect to detection limits (i.e. 1 RT-PCR amplifiable unit (RT-PCRU) per reaction). Detection limits improved by approximately 1 log(10) to 0.3 RT-PCRU per reaction when transcriptional enhancement and electrochemiluminescence (ECL) hybridization followed RT-PCR. The method shows promise for improved detection sensitivity in instances where very low levels of virus contamination might be anticipated.
Environmental Microbiology↗