DIAGNOSIS OF THE AFRICAN HORSE SICKNESS VIRUS SEROTYPE-4 BY A ONE-TUBE, ONE MANIPULATION RT-PCR REACTION FROM INFECTED ORGANS

A single tube reverse transcription - polymerase chain reaction (RT-PC R) method for detection of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) in sple nic tissues from infected horses is described. Double stranded RNA was extracted from infected organs of hors es and used to produce complem entary DNA (cDNA) with the two primers selected for the PCR. The 1179 bp amplified product (the segment 7 which encodes for VP 7), detected by electrophoresis on agarose gel and ethidium bromide staining, was h ydrolysed with eight restriction endonucleases for characterization of the AHSV. The sensitivity of this method is discussed. Application of the RT-PCR method should improve detection and shorten the time requi red to confirm a clinical diagnosis of AHSV infection.