Diagnostic performance of ELISA and PCR in identifying SRLV-infected sheep and goats using serum, plasma and milk samples and in early detection of infection in dairy flocks through bulk milk testing

• Published in: Veterinary microbiology 2010-05, Vol.142 (3-4), p.193-198
• Main Authors: Brinkhof, J.M.A., Houwers, D.J., Moll, L., Dercksen, D., van Maanen, C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: (Bulk) milk; accuracy; animal diseases; Animals; antibodies; Antibodies, Viral - analysis; Antibodies, Viral - blood; Arthritis-Encephalitis Virus, Caprine - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; blood plasma; CAEV; diagnostic techniques; disease diagnosis; disease prevalence; disease surveillance; DNA; ELISA; enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary; ewe milk; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Goat Diseases - diagnosis; goat milk; Goats; immune response; Lentivirus; Lentivirus Infections - diagnosis; Lentivirus Infections - veterinary; Limit of Detection; Maedi visna virus; microbial genetics; Microbiology; Milk - chemistry; Milk - immunology; PCR; Plasma; Pneumonia, Progressive Interstitial, of Sheep - diagnosis; polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; Population Surveillance - methods; proviruses; Reproducibility of Results; RNA, Viral - analysis; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - diagnosis; small ruminant lentiviruses; species differences; SRLV; vertebrate viruses; viral diseases of animals and humans; Visna-maedi virus - physiology
• ISSN: 0378-1135; 1873-2542
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2009.09.060

The objective of the study was to evaluate the diagnostic performances of the ELITEST-MVV ELISA for detection of antibodies against small ruminant lentiviruses and of two recently published PCRs for the detection of proviral DNA of SRLV in blood and corresponding individual milk samples. In addition, the feasibility of bulk milk testing was investigated by titrating ELISA positive pooled milk samples in negative milk, and by investigating bulk milk samples by ELISA and PCR in relation to the SRLV-status of the flocks. The results show that plasma and milk are suitable replacements for serum. For sheep, both PCRs showed a better diagnostic performance than for goats. ELISA results for bulk milk samples were promising with a putative detection limit of