PHWR Public Health Weekly Report

Vol.13 No.8, February 20, 2020 Article TypeEpidemiology and Surveillance

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2020-02-20

  0 95 22

  Smallpox and Differential Diagnosis

  Choi Myung-Min, Park Deok-bum, Park Ok kyu, Kang Byung Hak, Rhie Gi-eun

  Public Health Weekly Report 2020; 13(8): 412-419

  

  

  Abstract

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  This study introduced the need to develop the differential diagnosis of smallpox. Smallpox, a highly contagious infectious disease caused by the variola virus, was eradicated worldwide through the World Health Organization's (WHO) smallpox eradication program. Apart from two research laboratories in Russia and America that store small quantities, the variola virus has all but been destroyed. However, the variola virus poses a high-risk to national security and public health because it could potentially be used in a bioterrorist attack. The variola virus belongs to the genus Orthopoxviridae and has clinical characteristics similar to those caused by the monkeypox, cowpox and vaccinia virus. In addition, the chickenpox has symptoms that are almost identical to smallpox, making it difficult to distinguish them by their clinical characteristics alone. These features limit rapid response and accurate diagnosis in the event of a suspected smallpox bioterrorist attack. To solve these challenges, laboratory differential diagnosis is essential to identify pathogens with similar characteristics to the variola virus. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) is working on the development of diagnostic methods for smallpox, monkey cowpox, vaccinia and chickenpox.

• Epidemiology and Surveillance 2020-02-20

  0 71 42

  Current development status of aptamer diagnosis assay for infectious disease

  Shin Euisu, Kim Kiseok, Jeon Jun Ho, Kang Byung Hak, Rhie Gi-eun

  Public Health Weekly Report 2020; 13(8): 420-429

  

  

  Abstract

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  Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to public health worldwide. Population growth, urbanization, and pathogenic mutations are known to affect the spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, to minimize and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, rapid and accurate laboratory testing and diagnoses are critical. Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides (ssDNA or RNA) that have similar characteristics to antibodies and that specifically bind to target molecules such as proteins, whole cells, small molecules, viruses, and metal ions, etc. Aptamers are screened through a process known as SELEX (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment) in which binding target molecules are selected from a library that has a diversity of about 1014 to 1015 of unique nucleic acid molecules. In the last three decades since aptamers were first introduced in 1990, aptamers and SELEX technology have attracted considerable attention in areas such as cancer treatment and infectious disease diagnosis. In this report, we introduced the diagnostic trends of infectious disease that are based on aptamers.