Comparisons of competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and one step RT-PCR tests for the detection of Bluetongue virus in south west of Iran

Bluetongue is a noncontagious, arthropod-borne viral disease of both domestic and wild ruminants. Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the type of species of the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae. BTV is endemic in some areas with cattle and wild ruminants serving as reservoirs for the virus. Clinical symptoms are often seen in sheep. There are several methods for the detection of Bluetongue virus, among them the molecular technique like RT-PCR is considered as the most sensitive and reliable one. The aim of this study was to comprise competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (C-ELISA) with one step RT-PCR test for the detection of BTV in sheep. A total of 770 blood samples were obtained from sheep (265 serum positive samples and 505 serum negative samples in C-ELISA). According to our data, out of the 265 serum positive samples in ELISA test, 234 were positive in RT-PCR assay whereas all serum negative samples were negative in RT-PCR experiment. According to the results, the PCR assay was more sensitive and reliable than ELISA technique for the diagnosis of Bluetongue virus.