Alexander G Shaw, Tresor Kabeya Mampuela, Emmanuel Lokilo Lofiko, Catherine Pratt, Catherine Troman, Erika Bujaki, Áine O'Toole, Joyce Odeke Akello, Adrienne Amuri Aziza, Eddy Kinganda Lusamaki, Jean Claude Makangara, Marceline Akonga, Yvonne Lay, Bibiche Nsunda, Bailey White, David Jorgensen, Elizabeth Pukuta, Yogolelo Riziki, Kathleen E Rankin, Andrew Rambaut, Steve Ahuka-Mundeke, Jean-Jacques Muyembe, Javier Martin, Nicholas C Grassly, Placide Mbala-Kingebeni
Timely detection of outbreaks is needed for poliovirus eradication, but gold standard detection in the Democratic Republic of the Congo takes 30 days (median). Direct molecular detection and nanopore sequencing (DDNS) of poliovirus in stool samples is a promising fast method. Here we report prospective testing of stool samples from suspected polio cases, and their contacts, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 10 August 2021 and 4 February 2022. DDNS detected polioviruses in 62/2,339 (2.7%) of samples, while gold standard combination of cell culture, quantitative PCR and Sanger sequencing detected polioviruses in 51/2,339 (2...
August 17, 2023: Nature Microbiology