Porcine cytomegalovirus

Test code: S0128 - Ultrasensitive detection of porcine cytomegalovirus by real time PCR

Herpesviruses are widely distributed and have been found in insects, reptiles, amphibians and every species of bird and mammal. One important characteristic of herpesvirus infection is that the virus persists in the infected host for life and is frequently reactivated and shed. In pigs, five herpesviruses have been identified: three recently identified lymphotrophic herpesviruses, pseudorabies virus and porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV).

PCMV causes inclusion body rhinitis and abortion or neonatal piglet losses in pigs. On microscopic examination, CMV infection causes large intranuclear inclusion bodies in infected cells. In pigs, a major site of infection tends to be the turbinates and the rest of the upper respiratory tract. Clinically, inclusion body rhinitis is often confused with atrophic rhinitis, another upper respiratory tract disease of multiple etiologies.

Like human CMV, porcine CMV crosses the placenta and infects fetuses, with resulting congenital infections. In susceptible herds, infection with PCMV can lead to fetal and piglet death, runting, rhinitis, pneumonia, and poor weight gain. In herds where management conditions tend to be good or exceptional, the virus may be endemic without causing any apparent clinical disease or economic loss. However, these infected animals can be latent carriers of the virus.

Antibodies to this virus have been found in a high percentage of swine herds worldwide. Because of the high prevalence of positive serology, serological identification of infected pigs is not useful. Many latent carriers remain unidentified, posing serious problems with research using the pig as a model. In xenotransplantation between pig and human, reactivation of the latent virus can cause postransplantation failure. Molecular detection of the virus is an important tool that can provide rapid, sensitive and specific detection of the viral nucleic acid in suspected animals (Hamel et al., 1999).

Utilities:

• Confirm the disease causing agent
• Identify PCMV carriers
• Ensure that animal colonies and populations are free of PCMV
• 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:
Hamel, A.L., Lin, L., Sachvie, C., Grudeski, E., and Nayar, G.P.S. (1999) Assay for Detecting Porcine Cytomegalovirus. J Clin Microbiol. 37: 3767–3768.

Specimen requirements: 1 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) or ACD (yellow top) tube, or 0.5 ml tissue, or 1 ml fluid secretions, shipped overnight at room temperature.

For specimen types other than those listed here, please call 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