Effect of saliva stabilisers on detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus in oral fluid by quantitative reverse transcriptase real-time PCR

This study evaluated the effect of extraction–amplification methods, storage temperature and saliva stabilisers on detection of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) RNA by quantitative reverse transcriptase real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) in porcine oral fluid. The diagnostic performance of different extraction–amplification methods was examined using a dilution series of oral fluid spiked with PRRSV. To determine RNA stability, porcine oral fluid, with or without commercially available saliva stabilisers, was spiked with PRRSV, stored at 4 °C or room temperature and tested for the presence of PRRSV RNA by qRT-PCR. PRRSV RNA could be detected in oral fluid using all extraction–amplification combinations, but the limit of detection varied amongst different combinations. Storage temperature and saliva stabilisers had an effect on the stability of PRRSV RNA, which could only be detected for 7 days when PRRSV spiked oral fluid was kept at 4 °C or stabilised at room temperature with a commercial mRNA stabiliser.