Simultaneously subtyping of all influenza A viruses using DNA microarrays

Rapid diagnosis of novel emerging subtypes of influenza viruses is vital for effective global influenza surveillance. To this end, a novel microarray based surveillance was developed for subtyping all influenza A viruses on one chip. Using reference strains of different influenza subtypes and samples from different areas, the results show that all the subtypes of the influenza A virus could be identified simultaneously on this microchip with high sensitivity. There was no cross-hybridization reaction with other viruses, indicating that the microarray is specific for influenza A viruses. Such a diagnostic microarray will undoubtedly be useful for identifying novel influenza A virus subtypes.