Fusogenic peptide as diagnostic marker for detection of flaviviruses

Dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, yellow fever are the common flaviviral diseases associated with high morbidity and mortality. The initial symptoms of most of the flaviviral infections are similar to each other as well as to some other viral diseases. Making clinical diagnosis, therefore, becomes a challenging task for the clinician. Several studies have been reported on using detection of serum antibodies against flavivirus for the diagnosis of specific flaviviral disease; no field-based pan-flavi virus detection system is available, which can be used in low-endemicity areas for differentiation of flaviviral disease from other viral diseases.

To identify a conserved amino acid sequence among all flaviviruses and evaluate the antibody formed against the conserved peptide to develop pan-flavivirus detection system.

In the present study we have compared amino acid sequences of several flaviviruses and identified a conserved amino acid sequence lying in domain II of envelope protein.

A peptide having the conserved amino acid sequence was used to generate polyclonal antibodies and these antibodies were used to detect several flaviviruses. Anti-peptide polyclonal antibodies selectively recognized flaviviruses and did not detect non-flaviviruses. Anti-peptide antibodies detected presence of virus in serum spiked with pure virus preparations.

The study offers a rationale for development of pan-flavivirus capture assay suitable for low endemic areas.