Singapore scientists have developed a rapid approach to uncover the complete sequence of any influenza A virus and its mutations and resistance to drugs, Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) said on Thursday.

According to a statement of the A*STAR, the scientists at the Genome Institute of Singapore use a "generic" polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and NimbleGen's unique microarray-based platform to amplify full genomes of influenza A viruses and sequence them within a day.

With a quick nasal swab or nasal pharyngeal wash from patients, the method is able to recognize any novel strain of influenza A in the first pass, which enables a faster development of diagnostics for any possible new variant, the statement said.

The approach is also said to be able to trace the mutations in the influenza A virus that may cause resistance to drugs.

"The significance of this tracking process can be better appreciated in that it provides for vital information that can be used to prevent or combat a pandemic," said Edison Liu, executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2009)