Rapid diagnosis of pseudorabies virus infection in swine tissues using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Echeverría, M.G.; Pecoraro, M.R.; Pereyra, N.B.; Pidone, C.L.; Galosi, C.M.; Etcheverrigaray, M.E.; Nosetto, E.O.
Revista Argentina de Microbiologia 32(3): 109-115
2000
ISSN/ISBN: 0325-7541 PMID: 11008701 Document Number: 517120
In Argentina pseudorabies is an endemic disease. Routine diagnosis is made by virus isolation which is a very long procedure to carry out and gives variable results depending on the quality of sample, hence the need for effective techniques, which are rapid and not dependent on the isolation of infectious virus. This study describes a PCR method for detection of pseudorabies virus sequences in pig tissues. In order to determine the presence of suid herpesvirus-1 DNA and antigens, 36 tissue samples collected from 19 dead pigs with signs of pseudorabies infection, between 1994 and 1999, were examined by PCR, virus isolation and indirect immunofluorescence. 15 of 19 pigs were positive for at least one tissue by PCR (15/19) while only 3 pseudorabies virus strains were isolated (3/19). All the amplified products were identified by digestion with SalI and hybridization. The method described circumvents viral isolation and DNA purification and would be a valuable tool for rapid diagnosis, since it would take less than 5 h to obtain an accurate result even in poorly preserved tissue samples.