Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Virological diagnosis of African swine fever--comparative study of available tests.
- Journal:
- Virus research
- Year:
- 2013
- Authors:
- Oura, C A L et al.
- Affiliation:
- School of Veterinary Medicine
Plain-English summary
Detecting African swine fever virus (ASFV) quickly and accurately is very important to control the disease and to tell it apart from other illnesses in pigs that look similar. There are several tests available to find ASFV, including methods that isolate the virus, detect its proteins, or identify its genetic material. Recently, real-time PCR (rPCR) has become popular because it can quickly and accurately measure ASFV DNA, and it can be set up to handle many samples at once, reducing the risk of contamination. Newer tests called isothermal assays are also being developed as cheaper options for places without specialized labs, but these still need more validation before they can be used regularly. Overall, the chapter discusses how well these tests work and what improvements might be made in the future.
Abstract
The rapid and reliable detection of African swine fever virus (ASFV) is essential both for timely implementation of control measures to prevent the spread of disease, and to differentiate African swine fever (ASF) from other pig disease with similar clinical presentations. Many virological tests are currently available for the detection of ASFV (live virus), antigen and genome, including virus isolation, ELISA, fluorescent antibody, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and isothermal assays. In recent years real-time PCR (rPCR) has become one of the most widely used formats for virological diagnosis providing sensitive, specific and swift detection and quantification of ASFV DNA. The ability to integrate rPCR into automated platforms increases sample throughput and decreases the potential for cross-contamination. In more recent years isothermal assays, which are a lower-cost alternative to PCR more suitable for use in non-specialised or mobile laboratories, have been developed for the detection of ASFV, however these assays have not been fully validated for routine use in the field. The performance of all virological detection assays in ASF diagnostics, as well as prospects for improving diagnostic strategies in the future, are discussed and reviewed in this chapter.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23131492/