Enhanced laboratory diagnosis of foot and mouth disease by real-time polymerase chain reaction

Rev Sci Tech. 2004 Dec;23(3):1003-9. doi: 10.20506/rst.23.3.1544.

Abstract

The performance of an automated real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was compared to virus isolation (VI) in cell culture and antigen detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the laboratory diagnosis of foot and mouth disease (FMD). The World Reference Laboratory for FMD in Woking, the United Kingdom, examined a collection of 334 epithelia received from eighteen countries between August 2002 and January 2004. The results showed that all VI positive (n = 195) and VI and ELISA positive samples combined (n = 204) were also positive by RT-PCR. Depending on the cut-off used, FMD virus genome was detected in a minimum of an additional 60 samples (18% of all samples tested). Furthermore, the RT-PCR generated results in less than one day from test commencement in contrast to up to 4 days to define some positive and all negative samples by VI. The study demonstrates that real-time RT-PCR provides an extremely sensitive and rapid procedure for improved laboratory diagnosis of FMD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / standards
  • Clinical Laboratory Techniques / veterinary*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / veterinary
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease / diagnosis*
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus / immunology
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus / isolation & purification*
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary*
  • Reference Values
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Time Factors