DETECTION OF BOVINE ADENOVIRUS NUCLEIC-ACID SEQUENCES IN NASAL SPECIMENS BY BIOTINYLATED DNA PROBES

Bovine adenovirus infection has been detected in experimentally infected lambs by applying the rapid and simple DNA detection method of direct filter hybridization (DFH). Three fragments of BAV-2 DNA were obtained by molecular cloning and labelled with biotin. Clone 207, representing an EcoRI fragment between coordinates 35 to 55 of the viral genome, showed the highest sensitivity to detect adenovirus DNA, thus, this probe was applied on nasal cells from the lambs. Comparative tests revealed a concordance over 97 % between the results of conventional virus isolation and of the DFH method. Virus isolation required several weeks to be completed, whereas the DFH method gave results within 10 hours. Considering its simplicity, speed and economy, the DFH method is recommended as a practical diagnostic tool for the direct detection of adenoviruses in clinical specimens.