Antigenic properties and diagnostic potential of African swine fever virus protein pp62 expressed in insect cells
Journal of Clinical Microbiology publica este artículo de investigación
1 de marzo de 2006
African swine fever (ASF) is an infectious and economically important disease of domestic pigs. The absence of vaccine renders the diagnostic test the only tool that can be used for the control of new outbreaks of the disease. At present, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test is the most useful method for large-scale ASF serological studies, although false positives have been detected, mainly on poorly preserved sera. In order to improve the current diagnostic test available for ASF, we have studied the antigenic properties of the ASF virus polyprotein pp62 and its suitability for use in a novel ELISA. Two well-known antigenic proteins of ASF virus, p32 and p54, were also included in this study. These proteins were expressed in the baculovirus expression system and used as antigens in ASF serological tests. Our results indicate that the use of these recombinant proteins as antigens in the ELISAs improves the sensitivity and specificity obtained with the conventional diagnosis test used to detect antibodies against ASF virus. Furthermore, the use of polyprotein pp62 in an ELISA for testing poorly preserved sera allows performance of the diagnosis of ASF without the need to confirm the results by the immunoblot test. These features make pp62 one of the most interesting viral proteins to be used for serological ASF diagnosis
Gallardo C., Blanco E., Rodriguez JM., Carrascosa AL. y Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
 | Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA). Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA). Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. | |
 | Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa (CBMSO). Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM). Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC). |
