APPLICATION OF THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF FOWL POXVIRUS INFECTION

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify a 578-bp fragm ent of the fowl poxvirus (FPV) genome and with a set of primers framed a region within the gene coding for 4b core protein. An amplified pro duct was detected with six strains of FPV, whereas none was obtained f rom uninfected cell cultures, skin tissue or four unrelated avian path ogens. The sensitivity of PCR was tested with nucleic acids from the F PV-infected cell cultures. The detection limit was 10(-1) TCID50 in an ethidium bromide-stained gel. In addition, this assay system was used to detect FPV in tissue specimens of skin and respiratory swabs colle cted from commercially reared chickens. The identity of the amplificat ion products from the tissue specimen preparations was determined furt her by using a simple, rapid procedure in which an internally nested, end-labeled probe was used. Copyright (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.