Polymerase chain reaction for the detection and differentiation of Marek s disease virus strains MDV-l and HVT.

Marek s disease (MD) is a Iymphoproliferative disease of chickens characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of various organs. The present study was an attempt to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to optimize a rapid and reliable assay for detection ofMDV genome. Detection of serotype I of MDV (MDV-1) was confirmed by presence of a 200 bp DNA fragment as a peR product. Differentiation of MDV-1 and herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) was also conducted using specific primers from the glycoprotein A (gA) gcne and a 388 bp DNA fragment was amplified from HVT genome. The specificity of the test was confirmed b) sequencing of PCR products. Results indicate that MDV-1 can be diagnosed in clinical samples and inoculated cell cultures which is used for virus isolation. In addition, differentiation between MDV-1 and HVT viruses was confirmed based on the size of PCR products. The test proved to be rapid and reliable and can be performed as a robust diagnostic test in veterinary diagnostic laboratories.