Field evaluation of two commercial RT-rtPCR assays for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus detection using sera from ill and healthy pigs, China

Ying Tao Zhang, Xiao Qin Guo, Johnny D. Callahan, Gui Li Yuan, Gui Hong Zhang, Yao Chen, Hai Bing Zhang, Laura A. Pulscher, Jia Hai Lu, Gregory C. Gray

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a highly contagious respiratory virus causing severe morbidity in pigs worldwide. Control strategies for PRRSV often rely on detecting PRRSV, culling or isolating sick pigs, disinfecting pig barns, vaccination, and monitoring for virus spread. Given the high economic impact of PRRSV on pig farms, there is a great need for rapid and reliable PRRSV detection assays. We compared the performance of 2 commercial reverse-transcription real-time PCR (RT-rtPCR) assays, the VetMAX PRRSV NA and EU reagents (ABI assay) and the PRRSV general RT-rtPCR kit (Anheal assay), for the molecular detection of PRRSV in sera collected from pigs in China. Between June and September 2015, sera were collected from 219 healthy and 104 suspected PRRSV-infected pigs on 4 farms in China. Employing blinding, the 2 assays were run by 2 laboratories (Guangzhou Animal Health Inspection Institute [GAHII] and Sun Yat-sen University [SYSU] laboratories) and compared. Although both assays detected PRRSV with 100% specificity at both laboratories, the sensitivity (95% vs. 78% at GAHII; 94% vs. 72% at SYSU Laboratory) and the reproducibility (kappa value 0.933 vs. 0.931) were slightly better for the ABI assay compared to the Anheal assay.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)848-854
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation
Volume30
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • China
  • detection
  • porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome
  • test evaluation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Veterinary

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