Porcine parvovirus

Test code: S0122 - Ultrasensitive qualitative detection of porcine parvovirus by real time polymerase chain reaction

Porcine parvovirus (PPV) is a member of the Parvoviridae family. Swine infected with the virus can experience reproductive problems, including abortion, small litters, still births, neonatal deaths and weak piglets. There is no clinically apparent disease in non-pregnant pigs. Disease usually occurs when sero-negative dams are infected in the first half of gestation and the virus crosses the placenta.

Infection of post-natal pigs usually produces no detectable clinical signs. Even in pigs showing symptoms, the clinical picture is variable depending on the developmental stage. There may be increased abortion rates in herds, small litters, mummified fetuses, neonatal death and weak piglets. In boars, PPV can temporarily disturb spermatogenesis.

PPV is endemic in most countries with large pig populations. The virus can be transmitted via oronasal, transplacental and venereal routes, but oronasal is the most important route of infection. The virus is shed for only about two weeks after infection, in feces, urine, semen and nasal secretions. The greatest source of infection is the fluids and fetal membranes of parturient sows. The virus can persist for four months or more in the environment.

The most common methods used to detect PPV infection are fluorescent antibody (IFA) staining of fetal tissues, hemagglutination assay of tissue extracts and virus isolation from fetal tissues. Low specificity and low sensitivity are the major drawbacks of these techniques. In contrast, molecular detection by PCR offers rapid, specific and sensitive detection of the virus (Soares et al., 1999).

Utilities:

• Confirm the disease causing agent
• Identify porcine parvovirus carriers
• Ensure that animal groups and populations are free of porcine parvovirus
• 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:
Soares, R.M., Durigon, E.L., Bersano, J.G. and Richtzenhain LJ. (1999) Detection of porcine parvovirus DNA by the polymerase chain reaction assay using primers to the highly conserved nonstructural protein gene, NS-1. J. Virol. Methods 78: 191-198.

Specimen requirements: 1 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) or ACD (yellow top) tube, or 1 ml feces or urine or tissue, or nasal swab or fecal swab, 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