DETECTION OF HEPATITIS-A VIRUS IN CLINICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL-SAMPLES BY IMMUNOMAGNETIC SEPARATION AND PCR

Magnetic beads coated with antibodies against surface epitopes of the hepatitis A virus (HAV) captured efficiently viral particles from vari ous types of samples. Contaminating substances, including particulate material, were removed by using a magnet to retain the beads during th e washing procedure. A sensitive reverse transcriptase/nested polymera se chain reaction (RT-PCR) was developed to confirm the presence of vi ral particles on the beads. The above technique was shown to be useful for the detection of a laboratory strain of HAV added to polluted riv er water, sea water and fecal extracts.