A paper from the Georgios Vidalakis Lab at UC Riverside has now been published on PLOS ONE.

In the study they propose/argue for a more through and standardized way of designing and validating diagnostics.

Below is a an excerpt from the discussion but you can read the paper titled "Full genome characterization of 12 citrus tatter leaf virus isolates for the development of a detection assay" HERE.

“We propose that in the era of powerful affordable sequencing platforms the presented approach of full-genome sequence analysis of multiple virus isolates, and not only a small genome region of a small number of virus sequences, becomes a guideline for the design and comprehensive validation of qPCR-based virus detection assays especially for use in high value germplasm programs.

We understand the academic urgency for scientific publications however specifically in the case of diagnostics that affect international trade, quarantines and regulatory decisions that by extension affect the livelihoods of thousands of people, we urge the research community to dedicate the necessary resources and time for the appropriate design and validation of pathogen detection assays.

We hope that this publication offers a valuable case study for such consideration.”