West Nile virus disease is a zoonotic infection commonly found in the continental United States and some parts of Europe. The virus responsible for the disease is the West Nile Virus (WNV), transmitted from person to person through the bite of an infected Culex mosquito. It is one of the most feared tropical infections.
How to diagnose West Nile virus infection?
Serological testing and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis are the primary methods for diagnosing West Nile virus infection. Immunoassays such as ELISA and RT-PCR are used to identify WNV-specific IgM antibodies, which are typically present in serum and CSF. These antibodies can usually be detected 3 to 8 days after the onset of symptoms and last for 30 to 90 days. However, it's worth noting that persistent infections with prolonged durability have been observed, which can lead to IgM antibody positivity due to a previous condition. On the other hand, the absence of WNV-specific IgM in serum or CSF samples collected during the initial eight days of symptoms doesn't necessarily rule out infection, and a subsequent sample analysis must be performed for diagnostic confirmation.
How to handle West Nile test samples?
To handle human biomaterials collected from individuals suspected with West Nile Virus (WNV) infection, it is crucial to maintain containment at Biosafety level 2 (BSL2) or Biosafety level 3 (BSL3) due to the highly infectious nature of the virus. Below are the critical points for proper storage and shipping of WNV samples:
Storage requirements:
Samples intended for processing within 48 hours should be refrigerated between 2 and 8 °C.
Samples requiring processing beyond 48 hours or within a week should be kept frozen at -10 to -20 °C.
If the samples are intended for long-term preservation or kept for more than a week before processing, they should be kept frozen at -70 °C.
Reducing the number of freeze-thaw cycles is important to maintain sample integrity.
Shipping requirements:
Due to the hazardous nature of the WNV samples, they should be packaged in three layers with appropriate labelling.
Complete clinical and epidemiological documentation should accompany the cargo during shipping.
An uninterrupted cold chain must be maintained using dry ice or refrigerant gels throughout shipping.
Discover thousands of West Nile disease biospecimens for research:
Central BioHub is a leading supplier of biospecimens for life science researchers worldwide, providing access to over one thousand West Nile Fever samples for tropical research purposes. Our biorepository contains millions of clinical research specimens, enabling researchers to conduct tropical medicine and infectious disease research easily.
We offer a broad range of clinical research samples to support biomedical research and help discover new diagnostics and therapies for West Nile virus, including serum and plasma samples tested for West Nile virus IgG and IgM. You can visit our product page to order West Nile virus biospecimens and other tropical disease samples athttps://centralbiohub.de/biospecimens/tropical-infections/west-nile-virus.