Development of one-step TaqMan® real-time reverse transcription-PCR and conventional reverse transcription-PCR assays for the detection of equine rhinitis A and B viruses.
Authors: Lu Zhengchun, Timoney Peter J, White Jena, Balasuriya Udeni Br
Journal: BMC veterinary research
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Molecular Detection of Equine Rhinitis A and B Viruses Equine rhinitis A and B viruses (ERAV and ERBV) are widespread picornaviruses affecting respiratory health in horses globally, yet traditional virus isolation methods suffer from inconsistent sensitivity and may fail to generate visible cytopathic effects in culture, resulting in delayed or missed diagnoses across different laboratories. Lu and colleagues developed both real-time and conventional reverse transcription-PCR assays capable of reliably detecting and differentiating between ERAV and ERBV in clinical samples, addressing the diagnostic limitations inherent to cell culture-dependent approaches. The real-time TaqMan assay offers superior sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional RT-PCR whilst maintaining rapid turnaround time, making it particularly valuable for surveillance work and outbreak investigation. For practitioners managing respiratory disease, these molecular tools provide a more dependable alternative to virus isolation, enabling faster confirmation of rhinitis virus involvement in upper respiratory tract infections and supporting more informed treatment and biosecurity decisions. Given that serosurveillance data indicate ERAV and ERBV prevalence across multiple countries, adoption of these PCR-based methods could improve diagnostic accuracy and contribute to better understanding of these viruses' clinical significance in equine populations.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •PCR-based diagnostics provide more reliable and sensitive detection of equine rhinitis viruses compared to conventional virus isolation, improving diagnostic consistency across laboratories
- •These molecular assays enable rapid differentiation between ERAV and ERBV, which is important for understanding epidemiology and clinical management of respiratory disease
- •Consider advocating for PCR-based testing over virus isolation when submitting samples for diagnosis of suspected equine rhinitis infections
Key Findings
- •Real-time RT-PCR and conventional RT-PCR assays were successfully developed to detect and differentiate ERAV from ERBV
- •Molecular diagnostic assays overcome sensitivity limitations of traditional virus isolation testing which varies between laboratories
- •ERAV and ERBV are prevalent picornaviruses in many countries based on sero-surveillance studies