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Title: DETECTION OF SUBGROUP J AVIAN LEUKOSIS VIRUS USING THE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (PCR)

Author
item WILLIAMS, SUSAN - MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
item Smith, Eugene
item Fadly, Aly
item REED, WILLIE - MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Veterinary Medical Association Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/19/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Subgroup-J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J), an ALV associated with myelocytomatosis and other production problems in broiler breeder chickens was first isolated in England in the early 1990s. Recently, an ALV-J-like virus has also been isolated from broiler breeder flocks experiencing myeloid leukosis in the United States. PCR primers that amplify a region near the envelope gene that is specific for ALV-J were designed. These primers detected ALV-J in DNA extracted from chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) infected with ALV-J, but not with ALV of subgroups A, B, C, D, or E. The newly developed PCR assay detected ALV-J in DNA of CEF as early as 48 hours post inoculation with virus. The PCR assay also detected ALV-J in DNA of blood and skin (comb) collected from infected chickens, but it was relatively less sensitive than virus isolation tests. However, using DNA from CEF inoculated with infected blood, there was a 100% concordance between PCR and virus isolation tests. The data indicate that the PCR assay is a sensitive and specific test for detection of ALV-J.