Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute for Medical Research, University of Leuven,1 Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium,3 Laboratory of Virology, ICDDR,B: Centre for Health and Population Research, Dhaka, Bangladesh2
Received 21 November 2002/ Returned for modification 3 March 2003/ Accepted 9 December 2003
We developed a novel method that uses sodium dodecyl sulfate-EDTA-treated chromatography paper strips to collect unconcentrated fresh stool samples. After the paper strips were stored for 4 months at room temperature, rotavirus RNA could be successfully amplified by using reverse transcriptase PCR. The use of filter paper strips as a specimen support allows (self-)collection of stool samples by untrained persons. Diarrheal stool samples from remote areas can be stored and transported to a central diagnostic laboratory without the need for freezers or special shipping conditions. This convenient and inexpensive rotavirus sample collection system can be of use in epidemiological surveillance studies and vaccine trials.
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