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Summary
Direct plaque formation assays using pig kidney cells can detect hog cholera virus (HCV). This rapid method provides accurate infectivity titres comparable to existing techniques for HCV detection.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Virology
- Cell Biology
- Infectious Disease Research
Background:
- Hog cholera virus (HCV) causes significant economic losses in swine populations worldwide.
- Accurate and rapid detection methods for HCV are crucial for disease control and eradication efforts.
- Traditional methods for viral quantification can be time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish and validate a direct plaque formation assay for quantifying hog cholera virus (HCV).
- To compare the efficacy of the direct plaque assay with established viral infectivity testing methods.
Main Methods:
- Utilized several pig kidney cell lines for direct plaque formation assays.
- Employed agar overlay technique for plaque visualization.
- Observed plaques under indirect light and after neutral red staining.
- Compared infectivity titres obtained from the direct plaque assay with those from fluorescent focus assay.
Main Results:
- Successfully achieved direct plaque formation with representative HCV strains in pig kidney cell lines.
- HCV-infected cells presented as hazy plaques under indirect light.
- Plaques were clearly visible as white entities following neutral red staining.
- The direct plaque assay yielded infectivity titres identical to the fluorescent focus assay technique.
Conclusions:
- Direct plaque formation is a viable and effective method for quantifying HCV.
- This assay offers a rapid, convenient, and accurate alternative for HCV infectivity titering.
- The established method can aid in faster diagnosis and management of hog cholera outbreaks.