A MULTIPLATFORM APPROACH TO EMERGING VIRAL INFECTIOUS DISEASE INVESTIGATION AND SURVEILLANCE

Abstract

Emerging infectious diseases remain a public health concern, where detection tools play a vital role in outbreak and disease management; proper identification of pathogens is crucial for treatment, containment, and management of diseases. Limitations to the existing molecular and serological platforms include the time taken to develop and conduct effective serological assays to the need for a priori knowledge for pathogen-specific assays. Hence, we sought the Luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) platform as a rapid serological screen for specific pathogens through our investigation of Pteropine orthoreoviruses (PRV) and coronaviruses (CoV). Furthermore, we utilized two platforms that simultaneously investigated for multiple pathogens: VirScan and a probe-based NGS enrichment. Usability of these assays was demonstrated on a neurological infection cohort and the investigation of the 2016 Zika virus outbreak in Singapore. Collectively, this dissertation aims to introduce assays to hasten serological detection and explore the usability of interrogations for multiple pathogens simultaneously.