Rapid hemagglutinin subtyping of novel avian-origin influenza A(H7N9) virus using a diagnostic microarray

An epidemic of human H7N9 influenza virus infection has recently emerged in China, caused by the novel reassortant avian-origin influenza A virus subtype H7N9. The ability to readily identify novel strains will allow a more rapid response, in order to reduce the spread of the disease and minimize the chance of a worldwide flu pandemic. We developed a low-density microarray for the rapid detection and identification of avian influenza virus subtypes H5, H7, and H9 in a previous study. In the present study, we evaluated this diagnostic microarray using an artificially synthesized novel H7N9 virus hemagglutinin gene and Korean H7 viruses isolated from wild bird habitats. Cy3-labeled DNA targets were generated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using Cy3-labeled universal primers, and labeled amplicons hybridized to the microarray. All subtypes were correctly determined and identical to nucleotide sequencing results. This diagnostic microarray has enormous potential for the rapid detection of H7N9 viruses.