title: Quantitation of Marek's disease and chicken anemia viruses in organs of experimentally infected chickens and commercial chickens by multiplex real-time PCR.
abstract: The worldwide distribution of chicken anemia virus (CAV) and Marek's disease virus (MDV) is well documented. In addition to their economic significance in single- or dual-virus infections, the two viruses can often accompany various other pathogens and affect poultry health either directly, by causing tumors, anemia, and delayed growth, or indirectly, by aggravating other diseases, as a result of their immunosuppressive effects. After a decade of employing the molecular diagnosis of those viruses, which replaced conventional virus isolation, we present the development of a real-time multiplex PCR for the simultaneous detection of both viruses. The real-time PCRs for MDV and for CAV alone are more sensitive than the respective end-point PCRs. In addition, the multiplex real-time shows a similar sensitivity when compared to the single real-time PCR for each virus. The newly developed real-time multiplex PCR is of importance in terms of the diagnosis and detection of low copies of each virus, MDV and CAV in single- and in multiple-virus infections, and its applicability will be further evaluated.
authors.affiliation: Division of Avian Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, P.O. Box 12, Israel 50250. davidsoni@int.gov.il
authors.forename: Irit
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raibshtein
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Touri
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017727:Chicken anemia virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens; D018173:Circoviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary*; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D025922:Mardivirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008380:Marek Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods* / Q000662:veterinary; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral