Identification of porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), type 3 (PCV3) and porcine parvovirus (PPV) in swine by multiplex PCR test

This study aimed to simultaneously detect three important viruses reported to be involved in the reproductive problems of sows. A multiplex PCR (mPCR) test was developed to provide rapid diagnosis of porcine circovirus type 2 and 3 (PCV2, PCV3) and to illustrate parvovirus (PPV) prevalence in sow herds. Three pairs of specific primers were designed to target PCV2 Cap gene, PCV3 Cap gene and PPV NS1 gene, with predicted mPCR products of 702 bp, 267 bp and 380 bp, respectively. The detection limit of mPCR was 100 copies/reaction per target gene. The mPCR was run against a panel of 94 swine serum samples whose infection status had been pre-determined by commercial real-time PCR kits. Sequencing of mPCR products performed with clinical serum samples accurately confirmed the results. Overall, the results indicated that the mPCR functioned accurately and specifically and matched 100% with the single-target real-time PCRs. The mPCR was developed successfully and can be used in routine diagnosis of PCV2, PCV3 and PPV.