Detection of Viral RNA by Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH)Kishanda Vyboh 1,2, Lara Ajamian 1,3, Andrew J. Mouland 1,2,3
1Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital, 2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University , 3Department of Medicine, Division of Experimental Medicine, McGill University
A fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method was developed to visually detect viral genomic RNA using fluorescence microscopy. A probe is made with specificity to the viral RNA that can then be identified using a combination of hybridization and immunofluorescence techniques. This technique offers the advantage of identifying the localization of the viral RNA or DNA at steady-state, providing information on the control of intracellular virus trafficking events.