Real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) is an analytical molecular biology assay based on the polymerase chain reaction. Also known as quantitative PCR (qPCR), real-time PCR monitors the amplification of a targeted DNA molecule in real time and is used in diagnostic research for the detection of genetic material from specific genes, viruses, and bacteria.
| Assay Name | Assay Code | Description of Disease | Submission Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABO phenotyping | PCR1 | For some biomedical research, such as transplantation and transfusion studies, it is important to know whether the blood types of donor and recipient animals are compatible. In nonhuman primates, the A and B antigens are found in secretions such as saliva, rather than on the surfaces of red blood cells as they are in humans. This lack of antigen on the surface of red blood cells prevents conventional forward typing from blood samples in these macaques. Blood typing by PCR, on the other hand, requires only a small amount of DNA from the animal, and the DNA can be isolated from many different sample types, including blood. Our SNP genotyping assay can determine A, B, or AB phenotype in rhesus or cynomolgus macaques with only small amount of DNA from the animal, which can be isolated from many different tissue sample types. | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes |
| B virus | PCR2 | Herpes B Virus (Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1, or McHV-1) is a neurotropic virus infecting macaque monkeys. B virus in macaques exhibits pathogenesis similar to that of herpes simplex viruses in humans, including oral, ocular, and genital lesions. Humans who are zoonotically infected with B virus can present with severe central nervous system disease, resulting in permanent neurological dysfunction or death. Infection can occur via bites, scratches, and exposures to mucous membranes, including the eye. | CSF or applicable tissue |
| Campylobacter screen (genus-specific) | PCR3 | Campylobacter species are one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the world, with symptom severity ranging from moderate to severely debilitating. Campylobacter are helical-shaped, non-spore-forming, Gram-negative bacteria. | Stool in sterile containers or rectal swab in Cary-Blair transport medium. |
| Campylobacter jejuni | PCR4 | Of the many species of Campylobacter, Campylobacter jejuni is the predominant causative agent of most gastroenteritis. C. jejuni is thus considered one of the most important species from both a microbiological and colony surveillance perspective. | Stool in sterile containers or rectal swab in Cary-Blair transport medium. |
| Campylobacter coli | PCR5 | Campylobacter coli is one of the leading causes of food borne illness in developed countries, known to cause 10% of most diarrheal infections. | Stool in sterile containers or rectal swab in Cary-Blair transport medium. |
| Salmonella | PCR6 | Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. They are facultative anaerobes, capable of generating ATP with oxygen ("aerobically") when it is available, or when oxygen is not available, using other electron acceptors or fermentation (“anaerobically”). Salmonella bacteria typically live in human and non-human primate intestines and are shed through feces; primates with salmonella infection may develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps within eight to 72 hours. | Stool in sterile containers or rectal swab in Cary-Blair transport medium. |
| SARS-CoV-2 | PCR7 | Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the strain of coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the respiratory illness responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. Colloquially known as simply “the coronavirus”, SARS-CoV-2 is a Baltimore class IV positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that is contagious in humans. The virus primarily spreads between people through close contact and via respiratory droplets produced from coughs or sneezes. It is believed to have zoonotic origins and has close genetic similarity to bat coronaviruses, suggesting it emerged from a bat-borne virus. Non-human primates are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Note that at this time, AGI Diagnostics is not accepting human samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing. | Nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal swabs in Viral Transport Media (VTM), Aimes media, or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). |
| Shigella | PCR8 | Shigella is a genus of rod-shaped, Gram-negative bacteria. It is genetically closely related to E. coli. Shigella is the causative agent of shigellosis, which can cause disease in primates but not in other mammals. During infection, it typically causes dysentery, with symptoms including bloody diarrhea, fever, and dehydration. | Stool in sterile containers or rectal swab in Cary-Blair transport medium. |
| Salmonella/Shigella | PCR9 | PCR screen for both Salmonella and Shigella. | Stool in sterile containers or rectal swab in Cary-Blair transport medium. |
| SRV/D screen (SRV-1, 2, 3, 4, 5) | PCR10 | Simian retroviruses are a family of retroviruses that usually infect and cause a fatal immune deficiency in Asian macaques. The type D subfamily is composed of five distinct but genetically related serogroups, which are found in both New World and Old World monkeys. These viruses appears sporadically in mammary carcinoma of captive macaques at breeding facilities. SRV is transmitted naturally by virus-containing body fluids (saliva, urine, blood, etc.), via biting, scratching, grooming, and fighting. Some clinical and pathological symptoms of SRV-infected newborn rhesus macaques are diarrhea, weight loss, splenomegaly, anemia, and neoplastic disease. | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes |
| SRV-1 (SRV/D subtype 1) | PCR11 | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes | |
| SRV-2 (SRV/D subtype 2) | PCR12 | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes | |
| SRV-3 (SRV/D subtype 3) | PCR13 | Also known as Mason-Pfizer monkey virus. | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes |
| SRV-4 (SRV/D subtype 4) | PCR14 | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes | |
| SRV-5 (SRV/D subtype 5) | PCR15 | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes | |
| STLV-1 | PCR16 | Simian-T-lymphotropic viruses, also called Simian T-cell leukemia viruses (STLVs), are a family of retroviruses closely related to the human virus family HTLV. STLVs have subtypes 1 through 4, with each subtype having its own distinct viral surface proteins. STLV-1 is a common and usually asymptomatic infection among primate colonies. Pathological findings include lymphoproliferative disease similar to acute lymphoblastic leukemia. | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes |
| STLV-2 | PCR17 | STLV-2 is closely related to the human virus HTLV-2, yet no clinical disease has ever been described to be associated with STLV-2 infection. | 1-2mls EDTA or ACD blood collection tubes |
Sample Submission requirements:
DO NOT COLLECT SPECIMENS FOR PCR IN HEPARIN TUBES. Invert sample at least 10 times immediately after collection. Pooling of samples is not recommended.
Please send the blood on cold packs. Take care that the ice packs do not touch the samples directly. Do not freeze or ship frozen on dry ice. Overnight transportation should be used (FedEx, UPS, or USPS).
Real-time PCR results are processed within 24 hours after sample delivery.