Background Although severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） has been controlled, the subsequently emerging sporadic cases in 2004 emphasize the necessity of developing a rapid diagnostic method, which would be of g...Background Although severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） has been controlled, the subsequently emerging sporadic cases in 2004 emphasize the necessity of developing a rapid diagnostic method, which would be of great help in clinical diagosis and also wild host screening. This study aims to establish an effective and rapid serological tool for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV by comparison among whole viral, N and N199 proteins by ELISA. Methods SARS-CoV N and N199 （a truncated nucleocapsid gene） genes were cloned, expressed, identified by Western blotting, and applied in screening of human and swine samples. Sera of SARS convalescent-phase patients, normal human sera, sera of patients with other respiratory diseases, and swine sera were screened by ELISA, with whole SARS-CoV F69, N and N199 proteins as antigens. Results The sensitivity and specificity of N and N199 proteins in human sera diagnosis were approximate （P=-0.743）, which was higher than whole viral protein but the difference was not significant （P=-0.234）. The N199 protein proved to be more specific in swine sera screening than whole viral and N protein （P〈0.001）. Conclusion N199 protein is feasible in both clinical diagnosis and SARS-CoV reservoir screening.展开更多
Severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） first emerged in Guangdong province, China in November 2002. During the following 3 months, it spread rapidly across the world, resulting in approximately 800 deaths. In 2004...Severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） first emerged in Guangdong province, China in November 2002. During the following 3 months, it spread rapidly across the world, resulting in approximately 800 deaths. In 2004, subsequent sporadic cases emerged in Singapore and China. A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV, was identified as the etiological agent of SARS.1＇2 This virus belongs to a family of large, positive, single-stranded RNA viruses. Nevertheless, genomic characterization shows that the SARS-CoV is only moderately related to other known coronaviruses.3 In contrast with previously described coronaviruses, SARS-CoV infection typically causes severe symptoms related to the lower respiratory tract. The SARS-CoV genome includes 14 putative open reading frames encoding 28 potential proteins, and the functions of many of these proteins are not known.4 A number of complete and partial autopsies of SARS patients have been reported since the first outbreak in 2003. The predominant pathological finding in these cases was diffuse alveolar damage （DAD）, This severe pulmonary injury of SARS patients is caused both by5 direct viral effects and immunopathogenetic factors, Many important aspects of the pathogenesis of SARS have not yet been fully clarified. In this article, we summarize the most important mechanisms involved in the complex pathogenesis of SARS, including clinical characters, host and receptors, immune system response and genetic factors.展开更多
基金This study was supported by a grant from the Science Foundation for SARS of Guangdong Province(No.2003Z3-E0461)
文摘Background Although severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） has been controlled, the subsequently emerging sporadic cases in 2004 emphasize the necessity of developing a rapid diagnostic method, which would be of great help in clinical diagosis and also wild host screening. This study aims to establish an effective and rapid serological tool for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV by comparison among whole viral, N and N199 proteins by ELISA. Methods SARS-CoV N and N199 （a truncated nucleocapsid gene） genes were cloned, expressed, identified by Western blotting, and applied in screening of human and swine samples. Sera of SARS convalescent-phase patients, normal human sera, sera of patients with other respiratory diseases, and swine sera were screened by ELISA, with whole SARS-CoV F69, N and N199 proteins as antigens. Results The sensitivity and specificity of N and N199 proteins in human sera diagnosis were approximate （P=-0.743）, which was higher than whole viral protein but the difference was not significant （P=-0.234）. The N199 protein proved to be more specific in swine sera screening than whole viral and N protein （P〈0.001）. Conclusion N199 protein is feasible in both clinical diagnosis and SARS-CoV reservoir screening.
文摘Severe acute respiratory syndrome （SARS） first emerged in Guangdong province, China in November 2002. During the following 3 months, it spread rapidly across the world, resulting in approximately 800 deaths. In 2004, subsequent sporadic cases emerged in Singapore and China. A novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV, was identified as the etiological agent of SARS.1＇2 This virus belongs to a family of large, positive, single-stranded RNA viruses. Nevertheless, genomic characterization shows that the SARS-CoV is only moderately related to other known coronaviruses.3 In contrast with previously described coronaviruses, SARS-CoV infection typically causes severe symptoms related to the lower respiratory tract. The SARS-CoV genome includes 14 putative open reading frames encoding 28 potential proteins, and the functions of many of these proteins are not known.4 A number of complete and partial autopsies of SARS patients have been reported since the first outbreak in 2003. The predominant pathological finding in these cases was diffuse alveolar damage （DAD）, This severe pulmonary injury of SARS patients is caused both by5 direct viral effects and immunopathogenetic factors, Many important aspects of the pathogenesis of SARS have not yet been fully clarified. In this article, we summarize the most important mechanisms involved in the complex pathogenesis of SARS, including clinical characters, host and receptors, immune system response and genetic factors.
