The Nucleocapsid Protein Gene as Excellent target for Detection of Canine Distemper Virus by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction | Biomedgrid

Canine Distemper is a viral disease of worldwide distribution, lethal and highly contagious, caused by the Canine Distemper Virus, which affects a wide host range, as domestic dogs and wild representatives of different families of carnivores, compromising drastically the conservation of threatened species. For the definitive diagnosis of the ante-mortem disease, have been suggested a variety of clinical parameters and different types of assays, however, due to unpredictable and variable course the e final diagnosis for some animals remains uncertain. Thus, the objective of this work postulated the detection of the nucleocapsid protein gene of Canine Distemper Virus by Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RTPCR), as a form of rapid and specific diagnosis for the detection of the virus. The specificity of the method was demonstrated by amplification of the expected fragment at 100% of the positive controls to Canine Distemper Virus, both three vaccine controls (Onderstepoort, Lederle and Snyder Hill strains) as ten controls of viral RNA from national isolated, and in the not amplification of the expected fragment in the negative controls (uninfected dogs with and without vaccination). In addition to this, the amplified DNA fragments were sent to sequence and by means the BLAST program, it was confirmed that these were corresponding to Canine Distemper Virus. Additionally, it is proposed that the method could have high sensitivity, due to the amplification of the expected fragment at 91% of the field samples of dogs suspected of Canine Distemper. Based on the above, the method implemented can contribute to the prevention and control of the increase of Canine Distemper, both in the canine population, as in other animals susceptible to the disease.