Poster presented in 5th Annual Scientific Meeting on Zoonoses Research in Europe

June 3^rd, 2009

Garcia N., Perez-Sancho M., Gomez S., Alvarez J., Gonzalez S., Martinez I., Carpintero J., Diaz R. and Dominguez L.

Single-stranded RNA viruses, like Influenza virus, are considered the most widespread zoonotic emerging and reemerging pathogens. A possible explanation of this fact is the high nucleotide substitution rate of this type of viruses, which permit them a rapid adaptation to new environments and hosts, even crossing the species barrier. Nevertheless this high genetic variation is an important disadvantage not only for the treatment of the serious diseases that they can produce, but also for the diagnostic methods. Avian influenza (AI), caused by influenza virus type A, is a good example of this type of pathogens. One-step Reverse Real Time PCR (RRT-PCR) is the most widely used molecular method for AI virus detection, targeting the matrix protein gene (M-gene) that is considered well conserved among all these viruses

	Servicio de Zoonosis Emergentes, de Baja Prevalencia y Agresivos Biológicos (NED). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM).
	Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM).