altona Diagnostics has launched the CE-marked AltoStar® MERS-CoV RT-PCR Kit 1.5, an in vitro diagnostic test based on real-time RT-PCR technology, for the qualitative detection of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) specific RNA in human nasopharyngeal swabs.
The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) belongs to the lineage C betacoronavirus in the family Coronaviridae. Since the disease was first identified in Saudi Arabia in April 2012, over 2,500 cases and 890 associated deaths have been detected in 27 countries.
The AltoStar® MERS-CoV RT-PCR Kit 1.5 consists of two independent assays, one targeting a region upstream of the E gene (upE) as well as a region of the N gene and the other targeting open reading frame 1a (orf1a) of the MERS-CoV genome. It is designed for use with the AltoStar® Molecular Diagnostic Workflow, which offers enhanced flexibility in sample-to-PCR management.
altona Diagnostics GmbH
Mörkenstr. 12
22767 Hamburg, Germany