EXPERIENCES OF USING THE PCR AT THE VETER INARY-INSTITUTE-OF-DEBRECEN

The authors have given a report on the activities of the first Hungari an PCR laboratory in the veterinary diagnostic. Model experiments were carried out in adenoviruses. It was found that after the application of a so-called wide-spectrum primer, serving for the demonstration of both human and animal adenoviruses, typifying of viruses by endonuclea se enzymes was possible. A simple, effective sample processing method was elaborated for the demonstration of Rubarth's adenovirus of dogs. In case of other, economically important pathogens, a similar method w as elaborated for the diagnosis of avian mycoplasmoses. PCR technique was usefully applied for solving the uncertainties and contradictions in the diagnosis of Derzsy's disease. Of the RNA viruses, PCR techniqu e was used for the demonstration and identification of pestiviruses (c lassical swine fever and bovine virus diarrhoea viruses) after reverse transcription of the virus genome (RT-PCR). Classical swine fever vir us was successfully demonstrated by RT-PCR from leukocytes and other s amples unfit for other investigations even within one day. Bovine viru s diarrhoea virus was demonstrated by similar procedure, however by pr imers specific for other sites of the virus genome. They have been wor king on the development of such PCR systems using the genome structura l knowledge cumulating nowadays that besides the genotypifying it can make also possible the determination of recombination types in the fut ure. It has been pointed out that PCR serving diagnostic purposes, bec ause of the false positive and negative reactions, should be applied c arefully. The technique is a valuable complementary method of the trad itional laboratory techniques, however they cannot substitute the isol ation of virus which is essential because of ensuring possibilities fo r further morphological analyses and revealing functional relationship s.