​Rapid and accurate identification of the viruses responsible for infections is fundamental for rapid diagnosis and to improve the resilience of countries in the face of major crises such as those we recently experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conventional methods, including DNA amplification techniques or immunochromatographic tests (strips), are limited to a specific set of targets.

In this study, the researchers present a tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) proteotyping method for rapid, universal virus identification, eliminating the need for predefined targets. Their method is based on the rapid, cost-effective preparation of viral peptides, followed by liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), on publicly available shotgun proteomic datasets obtained from viral preparations and faecal samples from infected individuals. The researchers accurately identified 23 viral species in 53 public datasets. They also demonstrated the method's ability to discriminate between phylogenetically related viruses within the same sample. Finally, clinical applicability was demonstrated by the detection of vaccinia virus in saliva.

A proof of concept that makes this innovative diagnostic method a significant advance in the non-targeted identification of pathogenic viruses in all types of clinical samples.

Contacts : Jean Armengaud (jean.armengaud@cea.fr) ; Clément Lozano (clement.lozano@cea.fr)