Detection of Newcastle disease virus RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue and comparison with immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization

The usefulness of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues was examined and compared to the immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) assays for detection of Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Spleen and lung tissues were collected from chickens experimentally infected with either of 2 NDV isolates: a low virulent virus (LaSota) and a virulent virus (from the 2002-2003 California outbreak). The tissues were harvested immediately postmortem and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for approximately 52 hours. Also, just before euthanasia, oral and cloacal swabs were collected for virus isolation. RNA was obtained from the FFPE tissues by digestion with proteinase K and subsequent extraction with phenol, chloroform, and isoamyl alcohol. By seminested RT-PCR with primers for the NDV matrix gene, a 232-base pair (bp) product was generated and visualized by electrophoresis. The results of PCR were compared to those of IHC for viral nucleoprotein and ISH for matrix gene (850 bp) on 3-mu m sections and to those of virus isolation from swabs. All samples from infected chickens were positive by RT-PCR, including samples that were negative by both IHC and ISH. The RT-PCR positives included tissue from chickens that were no longer shedding virus detectable by virus isolation. The RT-PCR was an effective and sensitive method to detect NDV in FFPE tissues. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first report of NDV detection in FFPE tissues as a diagnostic approach possibly suitable for archival materials.