Avian influenza (AI) has severely affected the poultry industry worldwide and has caused the deaths of millions of birds. Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus is characterized by high mortality and the ability to transmit from birds to humans. Early diagnosis is difficult because of the variation in pathogenicity and the genetic diversity between virus subtypes. Therefore, development of a sensitive and accurate diagnostic system is an urgent priority. We developed ssDNA aptamer probes to detect AI viruses. Through seven rounds of SELEX to search for a probe specific to the highly pathogenic AI virus subtype H5N1, we identified 16 binding aptamers and selected two with the highest binding frequency. These two aptamers had strong binding affinities and low detection limits. We found that they could bind more specifically to H5N1, as compared to other subtypes. Furthermore, these aptamers inhibited hemagglutination, which is caused by the virus surface protein hemagglutinin. Our results indicate that our screened aptamers are effective molecular probes for diagnosing H5N1 and can be used as therapeutic agents to inhibit viral surface proteins. Sensitive diagnosis and suppression of avian influenza will help maintain a stable and healthy livestock industry, as well as protect human health.

中文翻译：

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用于诊断和抑制高度致病性禽流感病毒H5N1亚型的ssDNA适体的开发。

禽流感（AI）已严重影响了全球禽业，并造成了数百万只禽鸟的死亡。高致病性禽流感病毒的特点是高死亡率和从禽类向人类传播的能力。由于病毒亚型之间的致病性和遗传多样性的差异，很难进行早期诊断。因此，开发灵敏而准确的诊断系统是当务之急。我们开发了ssDNA适体探针来检测AI病毒。通过七轮SELEX搜索特定于高致病性AI病毒H5N1亚型的探针，我们鉴定了16个结合适体，并选择了两个结合频率最高的适体。这两个适体具有强结合亲和力和低检测限。我们发现它们可以更特异性地与H5N1结合，与其他亚型相比 此外，这些适体抑制了由病毒表面蛋白血凝素引起的血凝。我们的结果表明，我们筛选的适体是用于诊断H5N1的有效分子探针，可以用作抑制病毒表面蛋白的治疗剂。禽流感的敏感诊断和抑制将有助于维持稳定和健康的畜牧业，并保护人类健康。