A recent study, ‘Sensitive poliovirus detection using nested PCR and nanopore sequencing: a prospective validation study’, published today (17 August 2023) in Nature Microbiology, proves that using DDNS to detect polio outbreaks can save public health authorities crucial money and time.
This research was jointly conducted by researchers on the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa who implemented DDNS within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the detection of polio outbreaks in collaboration with the MHRA, Imperial College London, the University of Edinburgh and various laboratories of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN), with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
That is the primary time that one of these scientific technique has been used to detect polio. Similar techniques have previously been used to detect COVID-19, Ebola, measles and monkeypox.
By enabling samples to be tested within the country where the outbreak originated relatively than being sent to specialist laboratories abroad, the prices and delays of transport and testing could be reduced from a median of 42 days to a median of 19 days.
Currently, stool samples from countries with energetic polio outbreaks resembling the DRC have to be shipped around the globe for lengthy, complex laboratory tests to substantiate a polio case. Faster detection of polio within the regions where outbreaks still occur allows for a faster response by authorities through targeted, localised vaccination campaigns, minimising the chance for the virus to spread.
Javier Martin, Principal Scientist in Virology on the MHRA said:
We’re standing at a fragile and pivotal moment for the eradication of polio. While vaccination programmes have seen polio disappear in lots of countries, the delayed detection of outbreaks poses a serious threat to those efforts.
By implementing detection methods resembling DDNS, we are able to discover where outbreaks are and which polio strain is present rather more quickly, allowing us to act on the earliest opportunity.
That is the results of years of labor, collaborating with our partners. Together, we are going to proceed to construct on this research and support countries liable to outbreaks to implement DDNS testing to assist make polio a disease of the past.”
This research showed that DDNS tests done locally within the DRC over a six-month period were a median of 23 days faster than the usual method, with over 99% accuracy.
Researchers also tested this method within the UK and detected poliovirus in London in 2022, resulting in the recent drive to make sure children under the age of 12 are vaccinated through the London polio catch-up campaign 2023.
Professor Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, Medical Doctor and Virologist on the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale said:
That is the right example of collaboration, where combining and sharing knowledge along with all our partners has supported the vital work of the INRB within the DRC where poliomyelitis stays a serious public health problem.
Collaboration and training with our partners has empowered the local team not only to master and confidently perform this recent technique but additionally to transfer the knowledge and skills to other African countries where poliovirus outbreaks are reported recurrently.
The support and guidance of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the GPLN, who make these collaborations possible, enables the appliance and expansion of DDNS across Africa for the rapid detection of poliovirus and outbreak response, helping us move closer towards polio eradication.”
Dr Alex Shaw, Research Fellow within the School of Public Health at Imperial College London said:
This method allows the rapid confirmation of polio strains, facilitating swifter vaccine responses that may reduce the variety of polio cases stemming from an outbreak. Development and validation of the strategy has been the results of fruitful collaboration between a consortium of many partners.
As a consortium we stay up for the training of additional national laboratories on this method, with prior trainees, including members of INRB, now taking over the role of trainers.
The sequencing technology utilized in this method is definitely adapted for the detection and typing of other organisms. This rollout will due to this fact provide a foundation of skills and experience that could be redirected to the genomic surveillance of other pathogens as needed.”
Polio is an infectious disease brought on by the poliovirus, mostly transmitted through contact with infected feces via contaminated food and water.
While many individuals may never show symptoms, in extreme cases, especially for babies and youngsters under the age of 5, polio can result in everlasting paralysis or death.
The WHO has identified delays in detection as considered one of the foremost challenges facing their Polio eradication strategy 2022-2026.
While faster detection methods resembling DDNS cannot eradicate polio on their very own, they play a vital part in managing outbreaks.
Scientists on the MHRA will proceed to support the testing and validation of DDNS as a polio detection technique and training WHO laboratories around the globe in find out how to use it.
Source:
Journal reference:
Shaw, A. G., et al. (2023). Sensitive poliovirus detection using nested PCR and nanopore sequencing: a prospective validation study. Nature Microbiology. doi.org/10.1038/s41564-023-01453-4.