We've added new PCR tests for swine and bovine diseases -- see our menu for a complete listing.

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Zoologix performs avian and livestock PCR tests for...

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

African swine fever

Akabane virus

Alcelaphine herpesvirus

AMPKγ3R200Q mutation in pigs

Anaplasma phagocytophilum

Aspergillus fumigatus

Aspergillus species

Atoxoplasma

Aujeszky's disease

Avian adenovirus

Avian herpes

Avian influenza

Avian polyomavirus

Avian reovirus

Avibacterium paragallinarum

Baylisascaris procyonis

Blood typing for swine

Bluetongue virus

Bordetella avium

Borna virus

Bovine adenovirus

Bovine endogenous retrovirus

Bovine enterovirus

Bovine ephemeral fever virus

Bovine herpesvirus 1

Bovine herpesvirus 2

Bovine herpesvirus 4

Bovine leukemia virus

Bovine papillomavirus

Bovine papular stomatitis virus

Bovine parvovirus

Bovine polyomavirus

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus

Bovine rhinoviruses

Bovine viral diarrhea type 1

Brachyspira pilosicoli

Brucella

Cache Valley virus

Camelpox

Campylobacter      

Candida

Caprine arthritis-encephalitis (CAE) virus

Chlamydia/Chlamydophila genus

Chlamydophila psittaci

Classical swine fever

Clostridium

Coccidia

Coccidiodes

Coronaviruses

Cowpox

Coxiella burnetii

Cryptococcus

Cryptosporidium

Ebola Reston

E. coli O157:h7

Edwardsiella

Encephalomyocarditis

Enteric E. coli panel

Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae

Foot and mouth disease

Fowl adenovirus

Fowlpox

Fusobacterium necrophorum

Hepatitis E

Herpes, avian

Histoplasma

Infectious bronchitis

Infectious bursal disease

Infectious coryza

Infectious laryngotracheitis

Influenza type A

Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (JSRV)

Japanese encephalitis

Jena virus

Johne's disease

Lawsonia intracellularis

Leptospira

Lumpy skin disease virus

Malaria

Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF)

Mites

Mycobacterium avium and other Mycobacteria

Mycoplasma species

Mycoplasma suis

Newcastle disease virus

Nipah virus

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale

Ovine herpesvirus 2

Pacheco's disease (psittacid herpesviruses)

Peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV)

Pigeon circovirus

Plasmodium species

Porcine adenovirus

Porcine circovirus 1

Porcine circovirus 2

Porcine cytomegalovirus

Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV)

Porcine enterovirus

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus

Porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis

Porcine hemorrhagic enteropathy

Porcine intestinal adenomatosis

Porcine lymphotropic herpesvirus

Porcine parvovirus

Porcine reproductive & respiratory syndrome (PRRS) virus

Porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV)

Porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV)

Poultry respiratory panel

Pseudocowpox

Pseudorabies

Psittacine beak and feather disease

Psittacine herpes

Q fever

Rabies

Reovirus

Rift Valley fever virus

Rinderpest virus

RyR1 R615C mutation in pigs

Salmonella

Staphylococcus xylosus

St. Louis encephalitis

Streptococcus

Swinepox

Swine vesicular disease

Taenia solium

Teschovirus (Teschen-Talfan disease)

Tickborne encephalitis virus

Trichinella spiralis

Trichomonas/
Tritrichomonas

Vaccinia

Valley fever

Vesicular exanthema of swine

Vesicular stomatitis

Wesselsbron virus

West Nile virus

Yersinia enterocolitica

Yersinia pseudotuberculosis

...and more -- see the avian & livestock test menu for a complete listing of avian and livestock assays.

African swine fever PCR test
avian & livestock assay data sheet

African swine fever NOTE: THIS TEST IS NOT PERFORMED ON SAMPLES TAKEN FROM ANIMALS OWNED OR LOCATED IN THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA.

Test code: S0127 - Ultrasensitive detection of African swine fever virus by real time PCR

African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious, generalized disease of pigs caused by a DNA virus formerly classified as an iridovirus (Iridoviridae) but recently re-classified into a newly created family of viruses called Asfarviridae - a name derived from "African Swine Fever And Related Viruses.” Within that family it has been allocated to the Genus Asfivirus of which it is the only member. Different strains of ASF virus exhibit varying virulence. The virus is very resistant to inactivation, and can persist up to one month in contaminated pens, in meat up to 15 weeks and in processed hams up to 6 months.

High concentrations of ASF virus are shed in secretions and excretions from acutely infected pigs. Because the virus survives well in the environment and in meat, its spread can occur via contaminated livestock pens or by feeding contaminated garbage. The virus also spreads through pig to pig contact, ticks and other biting insect vectors, contaminated injection needles or mechanically by humans and equipment.

Infected pigs usually have an incubation period of 5-15 days before the disease may manifest itself in a number of forms:

Peracute - pigs are found moribund with death following rapidly.
Acute - high fever (up to 42C.) after 1-2 days anorexia and recumbency, skin blotching, diarrhea and abortion. Mortality close to 100% within 7 days.
Subacute - fluctuating or continuous fever for up to 20 days, with milder clinical signs.
Chronic - transient recurring fever with stunting and emaciation. Possible pneumonia, lameness, skin lesions, and secondary infections.

Recovered pigs may remain chronically infected and excrete the virus for 6 weeks after infection. Contaminated pens and garbage feeding, particularly with material from international airports or seaports, are documented methods of spread due to the resistance of the virus to inactivation.

African Swine Fever is clinically, and upon necropsy, very similar to Hog Cholera (also known as "Classical Swine Fever"). Laboratory tests are required to differentiate the two diseases.

Serological diagnosis and culture identification have been used to detect ASF but they are generally slow and not very specific. Molecular detection by PCR can provide rapid, specific and sensitive results (McKillen et al., 2007).

Utilities:

  • Help confirm the disease causing agent
  • Identify ASF virus carriers
  • Help ensure that animal colonies and populations are free of ASF
  • Early prevention of spread of the virus among animals
  • Minimize human exposure to the virus
  • Safety monitoring of biological products that derive from animals

References:
McKillen, J., Hjertner, B., Millar, A., McNeilly, F., Belák, S., Adair, B. and Allan, G. (2007) Molecular beacon real-time PCR detection of swine viruses. J Virol Methods. 140:155-65.

Specimen requirements: 0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube, or 0.2 ml feces, or rectal swab, or 0.2 ml fresh, frozen or fixed tissue.

Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.

For all specimen types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See shipping instructions for more information.

Turnaround time: 2 business days

Methodology: Qualitative real time PCR

Normal range: Nondetected

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