Genotyping of classical swine fever virus using high-resolution melt analysis

Discrimination between different field and vaccine strains of classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is crucial for meaningful disease diagnosis and epidemiological investigation. In this study, a rapid method for differentiating vaccine strains and outbreak CSFV isolates by combined RT-PCR and high-resolution melt (HRM) analysis has been developed. The assay is based on PCR amplification of short fragments from the most variable region of CSFVgene E2, followed by HRM analysis of amplicons. Real-Time PCR/HRM for CSFV detection and differentiation analysis has sensitivity comparable to RT-qPCR and genotyping resolution comparable to E2 nucleotide sequencing. This assay in one step enables rapid and sensitive identification and genotype discrimination of CSFV in field samples, and thus will be valuable for CSF outbreak response and disease control.