A Field-Deployable Reverse Transcription Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay for Rapid Detection of the Chikungunya Virus

Background: chikungunya virus (chikv) is a mosquito-borne virus currently transmitted in about 60 countries. chikv causes acute flu-like symptoms and in many cases prolonged musculoskeletal and joint pain. detection of the infection is mostly done using rt-rcr or elisa,which are not suitable for point-of-care diagnosis. methodology/principal findings: in this study,a reverse transcription recombinase polymerase amplification (rt-rpa) assay for the detection of the chikv was developed. the assay sensitivity,specificity,and cross-reactivity were tested. chikv rt-rpa assay detected down to 80 genome copies/reaction in a maximum of 15 minutes. it successfully identified 18 isolates representing the three chikv genotypes. no cross-reactivity was detected to other alphaviruses and arboviruses except o'nyong'nyong virus,which could be differentiated by a modified rpa primer pair. seventy-eight samples were screened both by rt-rpa and real-time rt-pcr. the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the chikv rt-rpa assay were determined at 100%. conclusions/significance: the developed rt-rpa assay represents a promising method for the molecular detection of chikv at point of need. © 2016 patel et al.