Multiple virus sorting based on aptamer-modified microspheres in a TSAW device

Due to the overlapping epidemiology and clinical manifestations of flaviviruses, differential diagnosis of these viral diseases is complicated, and the results are unreliable. There is perpetual demand for a simplified, sensitive, rapid and inexpensive assay with less cross-reactivity. The ability to sort distinct virus particles from a mixture of biological samples is crucial for improving the sensitivity of diagnoses. Therefore, we developed a sorting system for the subsequent differential diagnosis of dengue and tick-borne encephalitis in the early stage. We employed aptamer-modified polystyrene (PS) microspheres with different diameters to specifically capture dengue virus (DENV) and tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), and utilized a traveling surface acoustic wave (TSAW) device to accomplish microsphere sorting according to particle size. The captured viruses were then characterized by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The characterization results indicated that the acoustic sorting process was effective and damage-free for subsequent analysis. Furthermore, the strategy can be utilized for sample pretreatment in the differential diagnosis of viral diseases.

Automated summary

The overlapping epidemiology and clinical manifestations of flaviviruses make the differential diagnosis of these viral diseases complicated and unreliable. We developed a sorting system for the early-stage differential diagnosis of dengue and tick-borne encephalitis. By using aptamer-modified polystyrene microspheres, we were able to specifically capture the viruses and sort them according to their size using a traveling surface acoustic wave device. The results showed that the acoustic sorting process was effective and damage-free for subsequent analysis, and this strategy could be used for sample pretreatment in the differential diagnosis of viral diseases.