Viral Culture and Isolation Test for Monkeypox Diagnosis

Creative Biolabs provides world-class anti-monkeypox drug discovery solutions to research institutions and corporations around the world. Our state-of-the-art laboratory technology platform meets the quality and precision of innovation to accelerate and enhance your research.

Overview of Viral Culture and Isolation

Conventional tests such as viral isolation from a clinical specimen remain valid techniques. Culture and characterization of live viruses from patient specimens. Virus isolation remains the "gold standard" for virus diagnosis, with which most newly developed diagnostic methods, including serological tests, viral enzyme tests, microscopy techniques, radioimmunoassays, and enzyme immunoassays must be compared. Virus isolation by cell culture is almost always carried out in a designated virology laboratory. Indeed, the need for cell culture techniques is what separates the virology laboratories as entities separate from other general clinical microbiology laboratories. Although the relative importance of virus isolation as a diagnostic method is rapidly declining, it is still necessary because it is the only technique capable of providing live isolates that can be used for further identification, such as phenotypic antiviral drug sensitivity tests.

Fig.1 The monkeypox virus (MPXV).

Cell Culture for Monkeypox Diagnosis

Because no single cell culture can support the growth of all medically relevant viruses, virology laboratories must maintain several different cell culture types. Virus growth in cell culture is usually detected by observing morphological changes in cells, known as the cytopathic effect (CPE). The signature of CPE is often so obvious that the laboratory can suspect which virus is causing it. During the first week of culture, cell cultures are usually examined microscopically every 1-2 days to detect CPE. Another modification of traditional cell culture involves the use of genetically engineered cell lines.

In Vitro Growth Characteristics of MPXV

Monkeypox virus is a recently described member of the pox virus family. Related to vaccinia and variola viruses, it has a few properties linking it more closely with variola than with vaccinia, particularly for pathogenesis in monkeys and temperature dependence. MPXV, like some other pox viruses, has associated with hemagglutinins. MPXV is similar to vaccinia and variola viruses in respect to the time course of in vitro intracellular multiplication and release of the virus, cytological alterations, and the intracellular development of viral antigens.

MPXV Viral Culture and Isolation Test Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages

A pure, live virus culture can be produced to determine the classification of the species. Orthopoxvirus produces a unique "pox" on the chorioallantoic membrane; other cell-based virus culture methods can also be used. Patient specimens from lesions are the most reliable method because viremia does not appear throughout the disease. Another advantage is that, in contrast to most antigen and nucleic acid tests, virus cultures can detect a wide variety of viruses, and not all viruses may be suspected at culture time.

• Disadvantages

The assay takes several days to complete. Patient specimens may contain bacteria, hampering culture attempts. Patient specimens may contain bacteria that hinder culture. Characterization of the virus requires further identification. It must be done in large laboratories and with skilled technicians. Isolation procedures are generally inefficient, slow, frequently requiring multiple passages, and expensive. However, for many viruses, it is the only method of unequivocal diagnosis.

Creative Biolabs has an excellent team of monkeypox experts to choose the right solution to make your research even better. When you partner with us, we will overcome barriers and facilitate the delivery of innovations, shortening the time for drug discovery and development. Please feel free to contact us for more detail.