Detection of porcine parvovirus DNA by the polymerase chain reaction assayusing primers to the highly conserved nonstructural protein gene, NS-1

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) infection is associated with reproductive losses i n swine and its causative agent, the PPV, has been isolated worldwide. Sero logical surveys and virus isolation studies throughout Brazil confirm the o ccurrence of PPV infection in this country. The most common methods to dete ct PPV infection are fluorescent antibody staining of fetal tissues, hemagg lutination assay of tissue extracts and virus isolation from fetal tissues. Non-specificity and low sensitivity are the major drawbacks of these techn iques. The development of a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested-PCR assays for PPV DNA detection from infected cell lines and clinical samples is described. The primers were designed to a highly conserved region of the PPV genome which codes for the non-structural protein, NS-1. Results showe d that PCR could detect PPV in titres at least 10(6) higher than the hemagg lutination assay. The PCR and nested-PCR assays were used to detect success fully PPV DNA in clinical samples. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.