Detection of Bovine Antibodies against a Conserved Capsid Epitope as the Basis of a Novel Universal Serological Test for Foot-and-Mouth Disease [Clinical Veterinary Microbiology]

In this study, a highly conserved region in the N terminus of FMDV capsid protein VP2 (VP2N) was characterized using a panel of intertype-reactive monoclonal antibodies. This revealed a universal epitope in VP2N which could be used as a peptide antigen to detect FMDV-specific antibodies against all types of the virus. A VP2-peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (VP2-ELISA) was optimized using experimental and reference antisera from immunized, convalescent, and naïve animals (n = 172). The VP2-ELISA is universal and simple and provided sensitive (99%) and specific (93%) detection of antibodies to all FMDV strains used in this study. We anticipate that this SP test could have utility for serosurveillance during virus incursions in FMD-free countries and as an additional screening tool to assess FMD virus circulation in countries where the disease is endemic.

Source: Journal of Clinical Microbiology - May 25, 2020 Category: Microbiology Authors: Asfor, A. S., Howe, N., Grazioli, S., Berryman, S., Parekh, K., Wilsden, G., Ludi, A., King, D. P., Parida, S., Brocchi, E., Tuthill, T. J. Tags: Clinical Veterinary Microbiology Source Type: research