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

Test code: S0205 - Ultrasensitive detection of Rinderpest virus by reverse transcription coupled real time PCR

Rinderpest virus (RPV) is an RNA virus belonging to the genus Morbillivirus of the family Paramyxoviridae. Although there is only one serotype of RPV, different strains of this virus vary greatly in their pathogenicity, from those causing 100% mortality, as seen with the Saudi/81 strain, to others in which infection causes no detectable clinical signs.

Rinderpest disease, also known as cattle plague, is a contagious viral disease affecting clovenhoofed animals, mainly cattle and buffalo. Many species of wild and domestic cloven-hoofed animals, including sheep and goats, only develop mild symptoms when infected, but the mortality rate can reach up to 100 per cent in highly susceptible cattle or buffalo herds. Infected animals can develop fever, necrotic stomatitis, gastroenteritis and lymphoid necrosis.

Transmission of the virus requires close contact between animals. The virus is present in small amounts of nasal and ocular secretions 1–2 days before fever begins; levels becomes high in secretions and excretions during the first week of clinical disease and decrease rapidly as animals develop specific antibodies and begin to recover.

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.

Laboratory tests are important to differentiate the disease from bovine viral diarrhea in particular, as well as East Coast fever, foot-and-mouth disease, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, and malignant catarrhal fever. Viral isolation and detection of specific viral antigens in affected tissues using an immunodiffusion test was formerly the standard, but simpler, more rapid and more discriminating tests, such as immune capture ELISA and reverse transcription coupled real time PCR, are increasingly being used as the first line of diagnosis. (Carrillo et al., 2010).

Utilities:

• Help confirm the disease causing agent
• Identify Rinderpest virus carriers
• Help ensure that animal herds and populations are free of Rinderpest
• 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:
Carrillo, C., Prarat, M., Vagnozzi, A., Calahan, J.D., Smoliga, G., Nelson, W.M. and Rodriguez, L.L. (2010) Specific detection of Rinderpest virus by real-time reverse transcription-PCR in preclinical and clinical samples from experimentally infected cattle. J. Clin. Microbiol. 48:4094-4101.

Specimen requirements: 0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube, or nasal swab, or 0.2 ml feces, or rectal swab, or 0.2 ml fresh or frozen 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 reverse transcription coupled real time PCR

Normal range: Nondetected