RESUMEN
Following the introduction of African swine fever virus (ASFV) into Europe in 2007, ASFV infection has spread continuously over the past years and it became a high level disease threat in Europe and also Asia. Examination of suspect clinical cases for ASF with rapid and sensitive laboratory methods can substantially contribute to the detection and characterization of new outbreaks. In this study two sensitive tests were developed for the detection of the p72 major capsid protein of ASFV both in cell culture with an immunocytochemical (IC) and in tissue samples with an immunohistochemical (IHC) method using a commercially available mouse monoclonal antibody (clone 1BC11). The IC test was able to detect the virus at high virus dilutions in cell culture and the IHC test indicated the presence of ASFV in all formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples collected from two wild boars. The reported IC and IHC methods were found to be useful ancillary laboratory tests for research purposes and for the diagnosis of acute ASF.
RESUMEN
In the recent years, African swine fever has become the biggest animal health threat to the swine industry. To facilitate quick genetic analysis of its causative agent, the African swine fever virus (ASFV), we developed a simple and efficient method for next generation sequencing of the viral DNA. Execution of the protocol does not demand complicated virus purification steps, enrichment of the virus by ultracentrifugation or of the viral DNA by ASFV-specific PCRs, and minimizes the use of Sanger sequencing. Efficient DNA-se treatment, monitoring of sample preparation by qPCR, and whole genome amplification are the key elements of the method. Through detailed description of sequencing of the first Hungarian ASFV isolate (ASFV_HU_2018), we specify the sensitive steps and supply key reference numbers to assist reproducibility and to facilitate the successful use of the method for other ASFV researchers.
