Vesicular exanthema of swine virus (VESV)

Test code: S0222 - Ultrasensitive detection of vesicular exanthema of swine virus by reverse transcription coupled real time PCR

Vesicular exanthema of swine virus (VESV) is a calicivirus. There are 13 serotypes of VESV and the virus is closely related to at least 14 other calicivirus serotypes found in the San Miguel sea lion virus (SMSV) group. Many SMSVs have been shown to cause vesicular disease when they are experimentally inoculated into pigs.

Low levels of antibodies to VESVs and SMSVs have been found in terrestrial mammals along the West coast of the US including wild boars, foxes, buffaloes, donkeys, and cattle. This suggests that the host range of these viruses may extend beyond pigs and sea lions. Human infection with these viruses has not been documented.

Infected pigs may develop fever, lameness, and vesicles followed by erosions in the mouth and on the snout, feet, and teats. The infection is easily confused with foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). However, lesions in VESV-infected pigs seem to be deeper, and granulation tissue commonly forms especially on the feet. Morbidity can reach almost 100%, but mortality is low. Transmission of the virus is mainly through direct contact, oronasal and lachrymal secretions, urine, feces, insemination, blood transfer, or feeding of raw or insufficiently cooked meat from infected animals.

Diagnosis of VESV infection by serological methods is difficult because of its close antigenicity to SMSV and other caliciviruses. Molecular detection by PCR is highly sensitive, specific and rapid, and is a useful alternative to traditional methods (Neill and Seal, 1995).

Utilities:

• Help confirm the disease causing agent
• Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical diagnosis of VESV infection
• Help ensure that animal herds and populations are free of VESV
• Early prevention of spread of this virus among animals
• Minimize human exposure to this virus
• Safety monitoring of biological products that derive from animals

References:
Neill, J.D. and Seal, B.S. (1995) Development of PCR primers for specific amplification of two distinct regions of the genomes of San Miguel sea-lion and vesicular exanthema of swine viruses. Mol. Cell Probes 9:33-37.

Specimen requirements: 0.2 ml whole blood in EDTA (purple top) tube, or oral, nasal or eye swab, or 0.2 ml feces, or rectal swab, or 0.2 ml urine, 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