The Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has announced that it has developed PCR tests for the detection of monkeypox virus following the outbreaks of cases of this disease which have recently caused concern around the world.
These tests were developed by Roche and its subsidiary TIB Molbiol, “in response to recent cases of monkeypox virus infection that have raised concerns“, said the Swiss group in a press release, released Thursday.
«Roche very quickly developed a new series of tests for detecting the monkeypox virus and monitoring its spread“, observed the director of the Diagnostics division of Roche, quoted in the press release.
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Recent outbreaks of this disease are atypical, as they occur in countries where monkeypox, a disease characterized by skin lesions, is not endemic. The tests developed by Roche are not intended for the general public but are available for research purposes in most countries of the world.
A first kit detects orthopoxviruses, including simianpox viruses, a second specifically detects simianpox viruses, while a third kit makes it possible to detect orthopoxviruses while specifying whether a simianpox virus is present or nope.
According to the World Health Organization (OMS), the disease should be detected with a PCR test because antigenic tests cannot determine whether it is monkeypox virus or other related viruses.
The best samples for diagnosis come from lesions, swabs of exudates (fluid produced by the wound) or crusts from lesions. Monkeypox or monkeypox is – according to the WHO – a rare viral zoonosis (virus transmitted to humans by animals) whose symptoms are less severe than those observed in the past in subjects with smallpox.
With MAP