Use of a portable real-time reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction assay for rapid detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus

Objective—To evaluate a portable real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay designed to detect all 7 viral serotypes of footand- mouth disease virus (FMDV). Design—Laboratory and animal studies. Study Population—Viruses grown in tissue culture and animals experimentally infected with FMDV. Procedure—1 steer, pig, and sheep were infected with serotype O FMDV. Twenty-four hours later, animals were placed in separate rooms that contained 4 FMDV-free, healthy animals of the same species. Oral and nasal swab specimens, oropharyngeal specimens obtained with a probang, and blood samples were obtained at frequent intervals, and animals were observed for fever and clinical signs of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). Samples from animals and tissue cultures were assayed for infectious virus and viral RNA. Results—The assay detected viral RNA representing all 7 FMDV serotypes grown in tissue culture but did not amplify a panel of selected viruses that included those that cause vesicular dise...