Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Rapid cat herpesvirus test using body heat at home
By Liu, Meng-Zhi et al.·Published in Archives of virology·2019·College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, China·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Development and application of a simple recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid point-of-care detection of feline herpesvirus type 1.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats suspected of having feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) were tested using a new rapid test that can provide results in just 20 minutes. This test, called RPA-LFD-FHV, uses body heat to work and was found to be effective in detecting the virus, even in samples that traditional tests missed. Out of 80 samples, the new test identified 31 positive cases compared to 27 with the standard PCR test. This means that the RPA-LFD-FHV test could be a valuable tool for vets to quickly diagnose FHV-1 infections in cats, helping to control the spread of this contagious virus.
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Abstract
Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is a highly contagious pathogen of domestic cats and other members of the family Felidae. Point-of-care diagnosis of persistent infection in cats is essential for control of its spread. A recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay (RPA-LFD-FHV) combined with a lateral flow dipstrip (LFD) was developed that uses human body heat for incubation. Sensitivity was evaluated by testing a serial dilution of a control plasmid, and specificity was evaluated by testing related viruses. Swab samples from cats with suspected infection were tested by RPA-LFD-FHV, and the results were compared to those obtained by PCR to evaluate its clinical performance. The RPA-FLD-FHV assay was carried out successfully within 20 min, using body heat for incubation. The RPA-FLD-FHV had a detection limit of 10copies of the FHV-1 gD gene, which was lower than that of PCR, which was 10copies. The assay could detect templates of FHV-1 but not those of other feline and canine viruses. Viruses in boiled samples could be efficiently detected by the RPA-FLD-FHV. Thirty-one out of the 80 samples were positive by the RPA-FLD-FHV assay, whereas only 27 were positive by PCR. DNA sequencing confirmed that the four samples that were positive by RPA-FLD-FHV but negative by PCR were indeed positive. These results indicate that RPA-FLD-FHV is applicable for clinical use. The RPA-FLD-FHV assay is a simple, rapid, and reliable method for point-of-care diagnosis of FHV-1 infection.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30302584/