Current Issue February 2012, Vol. 53, No. 2

The Pan American Society for Clinical Virology (PASCV) was founded in 1977 as the Pan American Group for Rapid Viral Diagnosis (PAG-RVD). It was founded to help raise the standards of diagnostic virology in the Americas as the European Group for Rapid Viral Diagnosis had done elsewhere. The name was changed in 1995 to reflect the expanding role of the society in all areas of clinical virology, including diagnostics, manifestations of viral diseases and viral pathogenesis, prevention of and therapy for viral diseases and the improved understanding of all of these. The PASCV sponsors symposia, workshops and annual awards in clinical virology. Currently 2 awards are presented annually. The Clinical Virology Award (sponsored by Bion Enterprises) and the Diagnostic Virology Award (sponsored by Becton Dickinson). The Society also provides several $600 travel grants, including the Mario Escobar Award, to the Annual Clinical Virology Symposium for students, postdoctoral fellows or technologists who submit abstracts to the meeting.

• Detection of ganciclovir resistance mutations by pyrosequencing in HCMV-infected pediatric patients
  03 February 2012

  Fabio Benzi, Irene Vanni, Giulia Cassina, Elisabetta Ugolotti, Eddi Di Marco, Carmela Cirillo, Emilio Cristina, Giuseppe Morreale, Giovanni Melioli, Mauro Malnati, Roberto Biassoni

  • Preview
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • PDF (1041 KB)

  Abstract: Background: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an opportunistic pathogen especially for immuno-suppressed subjects that might develop pharmacological resistance in patients undergoing prolonged...

• A new highly automated extraction system for quantitative real-time PCRs from whole blood samples: Routine monitoring of opportunistic infections in immunosuppressed patients
  01 February 2012

  C. Mengelle, J.-M. Mansuy, K. Sauné, C. Barthe, J. Boineau, J. Izopet

  • Preview
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • PDF (344 KB)

  Abstract: Background: Rapid, high throughput extraction systems are needed to monitor viral infections in immunosuppressed patients. Objectives: Evaluate the performance of the MagNA Pure 96™ extracti...

• Pacific region influenza surveillance for oseltamivir resistance
  01 February 2012

  Heather B. Miller, Remedios B. Gose, Mark T. Nagata, Rebecca H. Sciulli, A. Christian Whelen

  • Preview
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • PDF (159 KB)
  • Supplemental Materials

  Abstract: Background: Hawaii and the United States-affiliated Pacific islands (USAPI) host over 8 million travelers annually, most of whom originate in Asia, Australia, and the Americas where prevalen...

• Variable capacity of 13 hepatitis B virus surface antigen assays for the detection of HBsAg mutants in blood samples
  01 February 2012

  Annabelle Servant-Delmas, Mélanie Mercier-Darty, Thoai Duong Ly, Françoise Wind, Chakib Alloui, Camille Sureau, Syria Laperche

  • Preview
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • PDF (215 KB)

  Abstract: Background: Natural variation and mutations in the envelope protein (S) of hepatitis B virus can translate into HBsAg variants no longer detectable by conventional HBsAg assays. Objectives: ...

• Comparison of two broadly multiplexed PCR systems for viral detection in clinical respiratory tract specimens from immunocompromised children
  01 February 2012

  Randall T. Hayden, Zhengming Gu, Alicia Rodriguez, Lisa Tanioka, Claire Ying, Markus Morgenstern, Matthew J. Bankowski

  • Preview
  • Abstract
  • Full Text
  • PDF (219 KB)
  • Supplemental Materials

  Abstract: Background: The detection of viral respiratory tract infections has evolved greatly with the development of PCR based commercial systems capable of simultaneously detecting a wide variety of...

View More Articles in Press...